Procurement has started on Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's plans to build a £50m link road near Aberdare in South Wales - known as the Cynon Gateway Link Road project.

The project will deliver a new 1.2km link road connecting the A4059 Aberdare Bypass (at a point between Trecynon and Penywaun roundabouts) to the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road (at Croesbychan).

Earlier this year, the Council welcomed a significant allocation of £2.01 million to develop the project in 2026/27 from Welsh Government through the Cardiff Capital Region.

This was in addition to the £603,000 identified in the Council's Highways and Engineering 2026/27 Capital Programme, agreed in March.

On the back of this funding, the council gave an update this month announcing that it had started the procurement process to appoint a main contractor to design and build the scheme, with the final contract award is expected to take place during 2027.

Cllr Andrew Morgan OBE, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's cabinet member for environment and capital infrastructure, said: ‘Officers have started an extensive procurement process to appoint the main contractor that will be responsible for delivering this multi-million pound investment. Once the contract is awarded next year, the detailed design phase will be able to start, and this may involve the first works on site to support the detailed design work.

'This project remains an absolute commitment for the Council, while it is also a key part of the Cardiff Capital Region's five-year Regional Transport Plan. We understand that the project is vital to improve connectivity, to support economic growth in the Cynon Valley, and to tackle transport challenges in surrounding communities. For example, the scheme will reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety in Llwydcoed.

'We have an excellent recent track record of delivering major transportation projects – having successfully completed the A4119 Coed Ely dualling and the Mountain Ash Cross Valley Link in recent years. We're currently developing the Cynon Gateway Link Road alongside the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor, with both schemes being revised following the Roads Review.'

An initial tender notice for the project, released last year, said it would deploy a three-stage process for the Cynon Gateway North Link Road scheme. Under this earlier, timetable the scheme is due to complete in 2031.