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Repairs to the A469 over the Rhymney River earlier this year cost Caerphilly County Borough Council more than £270,000, according to information listed on a Welsh Government website.

A section of the A469 near Gilfach was closed in July after Caerphilly County Borough Council said “depressions” had been found on the road during a routine inspection.

The road was ultimately closed between Lewis School Pengam and the roundabout near Aberbargoed Fire Station for around seven weeks – this included a delay of one week due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Now, details about the work have been made publicly available on Sell2Wales, an information source procurement portal set up by the Welsh Government.

This website shows the completed work cost Caerphilly County Borough Council £273,983.28.

While there were five tenders in total, the contract was ultimately awarded to Centregreat Ltd, Bridgend.

On the Sell2Wales website, the tender was for work needed after “existing thermal movements of the structure combined with the integral ballast walls have resulted in depressions in the surfacing immediately adjacent to the structure”.

Work included: 

• Removal of an area of carriageway surfacing immediately above the abutments and excavation to a depth of approximately three metres.
• Construction of replacement reinforced concrete ballast walls. 
• The backfill material reinstated, and carriageway reconstructed. 
• Mechanical expansion joints with elastomeric inserts installed to accommodate thermal movements.

Caerphilly Observer asked the council why the work cost this amount. A spokesperson said: “To ensure value for money was achieved, Caerphilly County Borough Council advertised the opportunity and requested interested contractors submitted tenders including a cost for the works and responses to questions designed to assess the contractor’s ability to undertake the works.

“Following the tendering exercise, a total of five tenders were received with each assessed and the contractor that had submitted the most economically advantageous tender appointed.

Caerphilly Observer also asked if the work would have cost less if it had been completed at an earlier date. A council spokesperson responded: “The extent of the works would not have been reduced if the project had been undertaken at an earlier date, therefore the real terms cost would have been the same.

Caerphilly Observer asked for a list of the dates of routine inspections for this section of the road over the last ten years.

Inspections at Rhymney River Bridge were undertaken on the following dates:

• April 25, 2023.

• January 25, 2022.

• August 8, 2019.

• November 20, 2017.

• June 3, 2015.

• June 8, 2012.

The spokesperson added: “These dates fall in line with the principal and general inspection frequencies specified in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges – CS 450 – Inspection of highway structures standards.”

The tender can be viewed on Sell2Wales under reference number OCT452385.