A465 Heads Of The Valleys Dualling; Dowlais Top To Hirwaun

[Octaviadriver]

I had a seven mile Boxing Day hike this morning from Rhymney to Cefn Coed, trying to find good vantage points of the road from above and below.

Thanks for putting these up , stunning set of photos.


I see that a landslide has closed the road (A465) today just to the west of the A470.... With 3"+ of rain in the last 12 hours or so its likely to be a real mess around there.

There's no problems for the A465 on Traffic Wales today. Maybe they're still on holiday! There are no cameras for this area on the A465 and the A470 cameras north of Abercynon aren't operational today.

[Octaviadriver]

Thanks for your kind words jeremai and my eye is much improved.

SWMBO wanted to have some retail therapy in Cyfarthfa Retail Park today, so I got a chance to explore the Taff Trail again, especially as it was a nice bright, sunny day. I went as far as the new footbridge over the A465 that has replaced the old railway bridge and have attached some photos. This was the first time I've been over it since it was opened. The first is looking north and the last two are looking south. The third one shows a footbridge that passed over the railway line and went down rows of steps and under the A465 that was closed off when the work on the road started.

They have made a good job of reinstating the footpath, though you can see from the photos that the work is not yet finished.

[Octaviadriver]

I can't take photos very easily from the new footbridge as I can't get high enough to clear the fences, but this is the A465 looking east.

This is the bridge just to the east of the A470 junction taken from the Cefn Coed viaduct.

[jeremai]

Great photos, Octavia. It was a beautiful day. I was tempted to get out for a run during my lunch break but couldn't quite muster the energy!

The depth of the excavations in the distance in the second to last picture is impressive. Unfortunately this isn't visible from anywhere close up (that I can think of).

[Octaviadriver]

Thanks jeremai. It's one advantage of being retired that I can go out any day when the weather is good!

I was tempted when taking the second to last photo to hold my phone the other side of the railings of the bridge, but it would have been so easy to drop it onto the road below and then it's goodbye phone.

[AAndy]

Here's a video of the Old Swansea Road, what was the A4102. About 1 mile of brand new carriageway and a great view of the new uphill section from cefn coed....It links the A470 at Cafarthfa park roundabout to the A465 at the new GSJ . https://youtu.be/VvUTCoaVK2g
A465 Update video to follow soon.

[AAndy]

A couple of screenshots of the old swansea road.

[AAndy]

And the Nearside view (unedited so some hedge too) https://youtu.be/hi9k84todoM

[AAndy]

Eastbound: https://youtu.be/e6CWjE-_9FI
Westbound: https://youtu.be/b4_ebT6E05I
Westbound Nearside: https://youtu.be/FBkJQ-2WcRk

Westbound was brighter weather.......and I doubled back over the 2 Cefn Coed viaducts.

[AAndy]

March 2024 update, less than a month since my last , but a lot of progress since then https://youtu.be/QxYU_fxpcoU

The video description:
Eastbound, 4 new sections of road driven. A silent, real time video filmed in 4k. Only a month since my last update but a lot has changed.... A bit of a queue from 19:00 to 31:37 because of a broken down lorry..
New alignment sections:
3:25 along the new west carriageway alignment of the newly constructed D2
5:56 under what will be the A465 & a slip roundabout
11:24 along what is the new old Swansea road (driven west in this video: https://youtu.be/VvUTCoaVK2g )
12:36 temporary alignment from the old Swansea road back to the course of the A465
35:07 Dowlais top roundabout both underpasses now in use.

More videos to follow , side views and westbound

[SteveA30]

Looking forward to driving this when completed, especially in the early years before new trees block half the views. Worth the big diversion from the M4 Severn Bridge, freeflow most of the way back to Neath. Only 4 rbts I think between the 2 M4 junctions.

[Octaviadriver]

Great videos, thanks AAndy. It keeps me up to date on what's happening.

SWMBO wants some retail therapy on Friday, so I'll have a chance to see it for myself and catch up on all the changes since our last visit 6 weeks ago.

[jeremai]

Great video as usual Andy.

Coincidentally, Future Valleys Construction sent out a video this morning too with lots of drone footage. Well worth a look:

https://a465.org/VideoFeb24

[AAndy]

Great video as usual Andy.

Coincidentally, Future Valleys Construction sent out a video this morning too with lots of drone footage. Well worth a look:

https://a465.org/VideoFeb24

Great videos, thanks AAndy. It keeps me up to date on what's happening.

SWMBO wants some retail therapy on Friday, so I'll have a chance to see it for myself and catch up on all the changes since our last visit 6 weeks ago.

Thanks Both , my pleasure

I've added westbound https://youtu.be/-gbMKH6waZg and both ways nearside now https://youtu.be/VqLNSgj9u04 & https://youtu.be/GSYAgDXahps .

I've also done a video from the A465/A470 roundabout to cefn coed and over that new bridge installed here: https://youtu.be/7INkKxwG8nc .

[AAndy]

& the big one

[AAndy]

New video: https://youtu.be/dl6DacXJlyM

General progress - nothing too major since the last video.

[jgharston]

The A465 was part of one of the questions in Round Britain Quiz a couple of days ago:
Q4 What extremities are linked by the 'last man in', Blackbeard's no.2, Shaw's story of love and war set in Bulgaria, and the A465 between Abergavenny and the Vale of Neath?

[AAndy]

Another video, from this week as the rock removal in Cefn coed cutting seems complete as grading has begun and concrete construction. Also the approaches to the A465 from the A470 in the video , other than that its only the Cefn coed bit. https://youtu.be/wnnYOjpKex4