The £1.4bn publicly-funded project to transform the road connecting Swansea with Monmouthshire into a full dual carriageway began in 2002.
When completed later this year, the A465 (Hirwaun to Dowlais) project will have delivered 17.7km of new dual carriageway, 6.1km of sideroads, more than 14km of active travel routes, 38 new culverts (a structure that channels water past an obstacle), 30 new bridges and 28 retaining walls.
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Contractors involved in the project include the Future Valleys consortium – comprising FCC, Roadbridge, Meridiam, Alun Griffiths and Atkins – which is building sections 5 and 6 of the road between Dowlais Top, Merthyr Tydfl and Hirwain.
'A complex project'
The Welsh Government said the road will improve accessibility, reduce journey times, provide extra resilience and reliability, and enhance road safety.
It added that the project benefited the regional economy by creating more than 2,000 new jobs, of which half went to people living in the local area, spending more than £200m in the Valleys supply chain, and employing 158 apprentices with just under half from the valley’s region.
It has also relocated wildlife and planted more than 55,000 trees to mitigate the construction’s environmental impact, with a total of 120,000 expected to be planted by the end of the programme.
Cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: “This project is an incredibly impressive piece of engineering and a fantastic example of how targeted investment in road infrastructure can deliver on many levels [...] It’s been a complex project which has not been without its challenges, and I would like to thank everyone who has played their part in helping us to deliver one of the largest road projects in the UK.”
Tony Gibbons, owner of civil engineering company Atlas Groundworks, said: “[The project] has allowed us to upscale our operations and further strengthen our reputation in the construction industry. As a result of this, we’ve been able to create new job opportunities for local people and enhance our skills so that we can expand our business services.”
