THE MAIN road into Ebbw Vale will re-open "as early as possible next week", Blaenau Gwent County Council says.

The A4046 Cwm to Aberbeeg Road has been closed to all travel since February 18 - when Storm Dennis wrought havoc across the region.

Cracks in the road forced its closure with public safety a priority, the council said.

A diversion has been in place that takes drivers through Brynmawr, however, many motorists have been using the 'Rhiw' - a road linking the A4046 with the village of Manmoel.

One resident said "someone is going to get killed" by using the narrow, one-track country lane.

You can read about that here.

And now, after an extended closure and testing by engineers and consultants, the road is set to re-open.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "We are working towards a limited re-opening of the A4046 Cwm to Aberbeeg road as early as possible next week to minimise disruption to the public."

"Based on the advice of our consultants we are able to re-open one lane of the carriageway but a weight limit will apply.

"This means that the road will open to cars, vans and emergency vehicles only. HGVs will still have to use the diversion route currently in place until further notice."

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Specialist testing work by the council's highways engineers and geo-technical consultants is now complete, but the the road won't open on Monday, March 2, despite reports circulating on social media.

The spokeswoman added: "We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the road closure and thank you for your patience but our priority is always public safety."