Plans on display for Heads of the Valleys dualling project

Proposed plans for the final section of the £800m A465 Heads of the Valleys dualling project in Wales will go on display next month (December).

The latest designs for the nine-mile-long section of the A465 from Dowlais Top to Hirwaun will be available for the public to see at four exhibitions in the local area from 7 December .

Due to be completed in 2020 it will complete the 25-mile-long dualling of the A465 between Abergavenny and Hirwaun, a key part of plans for the economic regeneration of the South Wales Valleys.

Consultant Jacobs UK have been appointed as the Welsh government’s technical advisers to develop the design, complete the environmental impact assessment and take the project through the statutory process. The design will be developed over the next year leading to publication of draft statutory orders in autumn 2016.

The public information exhibitions will present the design that was developed in the 1990s and highlight areas where options to improve the original design are being considered. Representatives of the Welsh government and the design consultant will be present to explain the proposals and answer questions.

Transport Minister Edwina Hart said: “Dualling the Heads of the Valleys road is vital for improving safety, journey times and reliability for road users and supporting the wider regeneration of the region. I am pleased we are now able to present the designs for the final section of this ambitious project. I hope as many people as possible can come along to the exhibitions to find out more about this project and feedback their ideas. These exhibitions are an important part of our stakeholder engagement on the scheme, but there will also be other opportunities to view and comment on the proposals as they develop.”

Details of the exhibition and other information on the scheme are available at http://gov.wales/topics/transport/roads/schemes/a465/section-5/?lang=en