A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Chris5156 »

roadtester wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:48I think the elephant in the room for Welsh transport policy remains the M4 at Newport. Deciding not to go ahead with the most recent scheme hasn't solved the problem which will come back again and again, unless the WAG gets lucky and permanent structural change in the economy brings stable or declining traffic levels in the long run. So I still think that a lot of money will have to be spent on this at some stage, bleeding cash from other priorities.
I doubt the WAG would be considering themselves lucky if Wales underwent the sort of change that left the M4 quiet around Newport.

BoJo has said more than once that he wants to see the M4 Newport Bypass built and he'll find a way to pay for it. If I were the Welsh First Minister I'd be tempted to take him at his word and say yes, OK, if you give us the money we'll dust off the plans and build it. I suspect there would be a political loss of face if that were to happen, and it wouldn't resolve the environmental issues that were the stated reason that the project was canned, but it would certainly push the Westminster Government to put up or shut up on the issue.
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by AAndy »

A465 dualling Hirwaun to Dowlais top (before works) video from this week. Not a lot of preparation yet....

Part 1 https://youtu.be/L8NrNGXBElc
Part 2 https://youtu.be/p7Ro8RG_yBI
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Lots of tree clearance on and around the “Penderyn” roundabout. All gone.
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Big L wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:51 Lots of tree clearance on and around the “Penderyn” roundabout. All gone.
Always a shame to see them go. Hopefully they're matching with replanting (and not those weedy windswept saplings either).
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Big L »

Apologies for the slightly blurry nature of this photo which definitely wasn't taken while driving.
20201214_153259.jpg
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by AAndy »

Recent video of clearing trees/scrub alongside the hill up from the A470 roundabout: https://youtu.be/Bgy60h2t6V0 The most recent is mostly above the Prince Charles Hospital exit from around 3 minutes in.

video from mid january beforehand: https://youtu.be/deDhoQl8jvs
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Lots of tree clearance throughout, and a 40 limit.
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Hdeng16 »

Went past the a470 junction and masses of clearance. A look at the plans explains why I guess. The existing route becomes westbound slips
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Yes, I drove through a week ago and was surprised to see the scale of clearance around the A470 junction until I realised what the alignment would be. Just to the west of this roundabout they're moving an electricity pylon. There are also several works sites to the side of the road being set up. So plenty to see already.

The slides on this web site show the order in which different sections will be closed and built between Dowlais and the A470:
https://dowlaisandpant.com/a465-dualling

I hadn't appreciated how big the new junction at Pant is going to be. It's going to be an interesting few years.
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by IAN »

You tube video from 4th May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-0DCzm1Mfo
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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But will Brynmawr to Gilwern be open before this is finished? :twisted:
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Bryn666 wrote: Mon May 10, 2021 10:32 But will Brynmawr to Gilwern be open before this is finished? :twisted:
I think we first need to establish whether it will ever be finished :laugh:
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Heh, they found another name for the Gurnos junction. I wonder why. :twisted:
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Octaviadriver »

I went along the A465 from the A470 to Dowlais Top yesterday to visit Asda and Lidl and this whole section has been cleared of all trees, etc from each side of the existing road and new fences can be seen, presumably at the edge of where the new carriageways will go. There are lots of things I couldn't see before that have now come into view after the clearance work.

This section has been covered by average speed cameras for some time when it was 60mph and now it's been reduced to 40mph whilst the work is being carried out. There are signs warning of this but I was surprised in the S2+1 section where I'd set the cruise control to just over 40mph that a few cars went past well over the limit. I wonder if they'll get a NIP in the post soon, or do they think or know that the cameras have not been adjusted to clock anyone going over 40mph?
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Truvelo »

With the typical threshold in a 40 set to 46 and allowing for overread on speedos it's possible to be averaging 50 on a speedo and be just below the threshold.
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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Octaviadriver wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:10 This section has been covered by average speed cameras for some time when it was 60mph and now it's been reduced to 40mph whilst the work is being carried out. There are signs warning of this but I was surprised in the S2+1 section where I'd set the cruise control to just over 40mph that a few cars went past well over the limit. I wonder if they'll get a NIP in the post soon, or do they think or know that the cameras have not been adjusted to clock anyone going over 40mph?
There's a simple way to find out ... :coat:
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

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the cheesecake man wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 18:56
Octaviadriver wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:10 This section has been covered by average speed cameras for some time when it was 60mph and now it's been reduced to 40mph whilst the work is being carried out. There are signs warning of this but I was surprised in the S2+1 section where I'd set the cruise control to just over 40mph that a few cars went past well over the limit. I wonder if they'll get a NIP in the post soon, or do they think or know that the cameras have not been adjusted to clock anyone going over 40mph?
There's a simple way to find out ... :coat:
I don't think I'll try that, thank you! As it's only covers about 3½ miles, it would make it an expensive journey if the cameras were set at 40mph. However, there was a queue approaching the roundabout at Dowlais Top, so a delay here would reduce the average speed as I was stopped before reaching the cameras.

There were signs out showing there was free recovery from the area during the ongoing works, but it was rather strange that there was a repeater of this fact about 100 yards from the Dowlais Top roundabout and as you entered the roundabout there was the sign to say that the free recovery has ended. You could see both signs at the same time!
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by Alderpoint »

Octaviadriver wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 22:59
the cheesecake man wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 18:56
Octaviadriver wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:10 This section has been covered by average speed cameras for some time when it was 60mph and now it's been reduced to 40mph whilst the work is being carried out. There are signs warning of this but I was surprised in the S2+1 section where I'd set the cruise control to just over 40mph that a few cars went past well over the limit. I wonder if they'll get a NIP in the post soon, or do they think or know that the cameras have not been adjusted to clock anyone going over 40mph?
There's a simple way to find out ... :coat:
I don't think I'll try that, thank you! As it's only covers about 3½ miles, it would make it an expensive journey if the cameras were set at 40mph. However, there was a queue approaching the roundabout at Dowlais Top, so a delay here would reduce the average speed as I was stopped before reaching the cameras.
Travelling to Pembroke I went through early Sunday evening from Dowlais Top to Hirwain and the whole section is 40mph+SPECS - a distance of around 9 miles - and in clear traffic this is *painful* when there is nothing happening on the actual road. On the way back Tuesday evening I stuck to the M4 via Cardiff and Newport...
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Re: A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

Post by jeremai »

I checked out a few bridges yesterday to see if they'll make good vantage points for construction photos.

High Street Cefn Coed offers a good view of the A470 junction, which is a surprisingly large site as previously mentioned:

ImageA465 section 5 dual carriageway construction at A470 junction from Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil, 2021 by Jeremai Smith, on Flickr

They were beginning some embankment excavation next to the Taff Trail footbridge, also in Cefn:

ImageA465 section 5 dual carriageway construction from the Taff Trail Bridge, Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil, 2021 by Jeremai Smith, on Flickr

Immediately to the right is the arch bridge over the Taf Fechan valley. This is less than half a mile from the A470 junction so there will be a lot of new structures in close proximity through this section.
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