A multi-million pound scheme to improve a busy roundabout in Caerphilly has been green-lit by the council’s cabinet.
The long-mooted proposals to the Pwllypant roundabout were approved at Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday June 7, with the £5 million improvements finally due to get underway in October.
The improvements aim to alleviate traffic and congestion at the roundabout – where the A468, A469 and Pontygwindy Road meet – while increasing capacity on the roundabout, improving bus services’ journey time and reliability, and reducing traffic travelling through Caerphilly town, thus improving air quality.
The council initially formed plans in 2015 to ease traffic and congestion at the roundabout, but in May 2016 the scheme was postponed in order to avoid clashing with major works on the Fiddler’s Elbow viaduct near Abercynon by Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil county borough councils.
The scheme was then held up while a shortfall in funding was approved by the Welsh Government.
Originally, it was hoped that the scheme would be solely funded by Section 106 contributions – where developers pay a levy to contribute to infrastructure – from developments in the Caerphilly Basin, but the amount fell almost £2m short of the required £5.3m to complete the scheme.
The remaining £1.7m was made up of a £1.5 million transport grant by the Welsh Government, and £212,000 of government funding left over from the Ysybyty Ystrad Fawr highway improvement scheme.
Construction work is anticipated to take up to a year.
The multimillion pound scheme will see the following improvements made:
• Full time traffic lights at the roundabout.
• Introduction of pedestrian crossings on the eastbound lane of the A468/A469 and towards Trecenydd.
• A new footway linking the existing pedestrian over bridge on the A468/A469 to the footway on Pontygwindy Road.
• An additional filter lane on the A469 from Llanbradach and extension to the existing filter lanes.
• A dual-lane approach on the eastbound lane of A468/A469 and dualled exit from roundabout.
• An additional filter lane and extension in length to existing filters on Pontygwindy Road.
• A dual-lane approach to the A468 Bedwas Arm and exit to the roundabout.
Cllr Sean Morgan Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy, Infrastructure, Sustainability and Wellbeing of Future Generations, said: “We have identified the improvements as a result of high congestion levels and future development needs and made it a priority to commence work to improve this for those who live and work in the county.
“Creating a more efficient highway will ensure that we reduce congestion, improve safety and have a significant impact on improving the reliability of the bus service.”
The approval of the scheme has delighted Plaid Cymru’s Llanbradach councillors Colin Mann and Rob Gough.
The pair have been vocal in their campaign to ease congestion in their ward, and Cllr Mann welcomed the news, saying: “This is very good news for anyone travelling up and down the valley because at present they can face significant congestion at peak times.
“We are also very pleased that the needs of pedestrians to safely cross at this very busy junction are being addressed as part of the scheme.
“Officers have said that the scheme should provide enough capacity through to 2031 and will obviously reduce journey times. At present queues can stretch more than a mile away to the Wingfield roundabout.”
Cllr Gough added: “During the construction works queues are likely to worsen, so everything must be done to prevent motorists using Llanbradach as a rat run.
“The council is trialling some additional traffic calming in Llanbradach and at the approach to the Coed-y-Brain and action will be needed to prevent the village facing gridlock during construction.”
As works progress, residents and businesses can access updates on the scheme’s progression via a dedicated webpage: www.caerphilly.gov.uk/pwllypant.
If Caerphilly Council hadn’t squandered million of pounds on the Caerphilly Three then they’d have enough money to complete the works without having to receive funding from the Welsh government.
Putting traffic lights on this roundabout will only increase congestion and cause more accidents, traffic roundabouts were introduced to British roads in 1967 and cut out unnecessary delays at junctions operated by traffic lights. Roundabouts are not meant to have traffic lights and some forward thing English councils are actually removing them. If used correctly roundabouts are an efficient and effective way of keeping traffic flowing. Sadly the majority of motorists have no idea of how to negotiate a roundabout correctly which is why congestion occurs, modern day cars are fitted with wonderful things called indicators which when used correctly at roundabouts result in everybody moving freely and quickly without having to grind to a halt just to wait to see where Mr or Mrs No Indication is going.
Our Council wastes loads of money on various new road lay out, departments and initiative. This labour run council has lost the plot. Sadly they will be voted in every time to cause the same havoc
More lanes for the already confused drivers to choose from – drivers changing from one lane to the other ( many without indicating )doesn’t help the present congestion.This will be a recipe for more confusion/congestion.
I agree, also the plethora of lines appearing on the approaches to and on the roundabouts are causing dangerous confusion. Not all that long ago every roundabout could be treated in the same manner, as laid down in the Highway Code. Nowadays anyone new to a particular roundabout layout is liable to inadvertantly place themselves or others in danger by being in the wrong lane.
The confusion only worsens as the traffic slows down and everyone starts looking over their shoulders when they realise their lane has abruptly ended in the middle of the roundabout.
No logic.
Very true, how many times have you got half way around a roundabout, been forced to stop for no need at traffic lights and found yourself in completely the wrong lane through no fault of your own.
Recent changes to the lane layout at the A469 Hendredenny Park roundabout has caused me more than a few near misses, I follow the lanes whilst drivers cut across them oblivious to what they are doing.
Traffic lights!! the queues are long enough now and they will double with lights. The pwllypant lane should be closed with a junction added with left turn only on A469 a short way up from the runabout, this would allow a dedicated lane from the A469 trecenydd side to the llanbradach side. Open a new lane going west up the hill towards trecenydd, the railway bridge is wide enough but a new bridge would be needed over the B4263. No to Traffic lights
Traffic lights and filter lanes? The same as that horrendous layout at Ystrad Mynach where all they have done is create yet another bottleneck and accident blackspot,
If they must have traffic lights, just have them at peak times. The whole point of a roundabout is to improve traffic flow. I get fed up with waitaing for pointless fraffic lights at Coryton (J32, M4) in the middle of the night.