LAST week the final design for the scheme to dual the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road between Gilwern and Brynmawr was revealed.

While the £205m scheme has been welcomed by residents, some environmental groups are worried about the impact it will have on wildlife in the area.

KEILIGH BAKER and KATH SKELLON explore the pros and cons.

THE newest designs address the 8km section of the A465 between Brynmawr and Gilwern. The section presents significant engineering and environmental challenges as the road passes through Clydach Gorge, an area within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The plans show an upgrade from a single three-lane carriageway to a dual twolane carriageway, and include a splitlevel carriageway, a 50mph speed limit, improved junctions and viewpoints of the gorge, extra laybys at Sale Yard and Clydach Gorge and a safer cycling crossing at Brynmawr.

Work to turn the final stretch of the A465 into a dual carriageway is due to begin late next year and be completed by 2017, creating 150 jobs.

The construction firm Costain Limited will expand the stretch at a total cost of £205 million.

Clydach Gorge is considered one of South Wales’ most important environmentally sensitive and ecologically sensitive areas. The entire gorge falls within the Brecon Beacons National Park and parts of the gorge have been protected for their wildlife and habitats including the Cwm Clydach Site of Special Scientific Interest, Cwm Clydach National Nature Reserve, the Cwm Clydach Woodlands SAC and the Usk Bat Site.

The design was unveiled at three exhibitions last week and follows an 18- month consultation which included surveys, questionnaires and meetings with locals and local businesses, and so far the designs have been welcomed by residents.

Mike and LindaWoodward, of Ty Clwd, Govilon, were among those to view the plans and watch an animated video.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Mr Woodward.

“It is an old-fashioned and dangerous road that is desperately in need of updating,” added Mrs Woodward.

Gareth Thomas, of Thomas Waste Management, Brynmawr, believes it will improve the safety of road users.

“This road is a death trap. The newlayout will be safer and provide better traffic flow.” But environmental groups are not so sure.

Gareth Clubb, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “By and large new roads tend to encourage more traffic.

“This section of the road goes through the gorge and that’s a very interesting area. It’s a limestone gorge with a lot of caves.

“To some extent if that area didn’t already have the trunk road going through it could easily be the jewel in the crown of the Brecon Beacons National Park, as the gorge is a very important habitat.

“As it is, cutting further into the hillside or widening the road will be detrimental to the gorge, and that’s our main concern.”

Gemma Bodé. a conservation manager for Gwent Wildlife Trust, said: “The new section of the A465 is affecting sites that are important for bats at a European and national level.

“These sites are key for lesser horseshoe bats, not only for breeding but for using the surrounding areas as foraging areas as well.

“The road will also destroy areas of upland heathland and grassland which are vital in supporting a whole host of insects and birds.

“The lapwing, in particular, will be affected by the development of the road, and it is already a particularly threatened bird in Wales, with fewer and fewer breeding pairs.

“Gwent Wildlife Trust is particularly concerned for this area of Gwent, which seems to have a continued barrage of planning applications that are continually reducing the value of this wonderfully rich area for wildlife.

“With the new State of Nature Report released last week, it has come as no surprise to us that it has found 60 per cent of species in the UK are in decline, and in Wales one in six plant species are threatened.

Unfortunately the new A465 will do little to help reverse these trends.”

The history of the A465

THE existing A465 was built in the 1960s as a single three-lane carriageway generally with two lanes in the uphill direction and one in the downhill direction.

In 1990 a regional traffic study by the Welsh Government identified the need for improvement of the A465. In 1994 alternatives for improvement of the 40km length between Abergavenny and Hirwaun were presented for public consultation, and in July 1995 the then secretary of state for Wales announced the preferred route.

The design was developed and a draft line order was published in 1997. This was tested at a public local Inquiry in 1998, after which the secretary of state for Wales announced the decision to proceed with the scheme in 1999.

‘Upgrade, yes, but gorge must be preserved’

A BLAENAU Gwent Council spokeswoman said: “The A465 dualling scheme will improve the road between Abergavenny and Hirwaun to dual two-lane standard by 2020.

“The improved road will not only be beneficial for local people, businesses and visitors, it will also ease any traffic congestion and improve safety.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “This project is part of ongoing work by the Welsh Government to improve the trunk road infrastructure in Wales.”

The Welsh Government has also said their project team are working with Natural Resources Wales to implement measures to protect the ecosystem and local wildlife, including the indigenous otter and bat populations. Land taken from the woodlands adjoining the A465 for the dualling scheme has been confined to a narrow band, and other pollution control measures will restrict the effects on air and water quality.

Monmouthshire Council leader Peter Fox said: “We look forward to the final stages of the Heads of the Valleys dualling and anything that improves Monmouthshire’s current excellent transport links is to be welcomed.

“People in the South Wales Valleys communities have a long association with Monmouthshire, whether for shopping, sightseeing, sampling our first-class food outlets or sporting events.

“We hope that the improved connection afforded by the A465 means that more people will visit us to enjoy the many things the county has to offer.

“However, it is extremely important the development is sympathetic to the beautiful area surrounding Clydach Gorge and recognises its environmental importance.

“Designs for the scheme must look to mitigate the impact on this historic and sensitive area.

“The work will take over three years; recognising this fact it will be crucial that steps are taken to protect the local communities of Clydach and Llanelly Hill and the local highway infrastructure from any possible impact relating to diverted or works traffic.

“Members and officers are working closely with the Welsh Government’s consultants to ensure that both the final scheme and the construction phase have as little impact upon the local community as possible.”

Change needed due to collisions

THE Heads of the Valleys Road is known as an accident blackspot – the stretch between Gilwern and Brynmawr is often the scene of both minor and major incidents.

South Wales Police recorded two fatal, seven serious and 22 minor accidents on the A465 between Glanbaiden and Brynmawr roundabouts between August 2007 and July 2012.

In March this year a lorry overturned; in October last year a motorcyclist and a motorist both died when their vehicles collided; in February last year an accident involving six vehicles partially blocked the road.

The new plans present a split-level carriageway designed to prevent these sorts of incident, which means the road level of each carriageway is at a different level, separated by a retaining wall used between the two to support the road at the higher level.