Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet has agreed how extra funding for Highways and Engineering in 2026/27 will be allocated, including funding towards the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor and the Cynon Gateway Link Road, plus money for 28 extra road resurfacing schemes, 15 footway works, two new unadopted road projects and additional flood alleviation.
A report outlining a proposed £12.13 million investment in Council priority areas was considered by Cabinet on Monday 21 September, and members approved the one-off funding for the current financial year. For Highways and Transportation, the package includes £3.5 million for roads and footways, £3 million for the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor, £3 million for the Cynon Gateway Link Road, £250,000 for flood alleviation and £150,000 for unadopted roads.
The funding will be delivered on top of the current year capital programme for Highways and Transportation, worth £41.9 million, agreed by Cabinet in March 2026 and being delivered throughout 2026/27.
Following approval of the wider investment, members considered a separate report on a proposed Supplementary Highways Capital Programme setting out how the money would be spent. It will deliver 28 extra road resurfacing schemes and 15 additional footway repairs, with further allocations for surface planing, intermediate repairs and patching. The new road and footway schemes are listed in the appendices of Monday’s Cabinet report on the Council’s website.
Two new unadopted roads schemes will be developed at Farm Road in Aberaman, and from Gadlys Street to Glan Road in Gadlys, Aberdare, adding to work to resurface privately owned roads left in poor condition and adopt them for future Council maintenance.
Extra flood alleviation funding will continue to support small-scale land drainage improvements, highway drainage and flood alleviation schemes. Council investment will continue to complement secured Welsh Government funding of around £4 million for 2026/27.
The Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor will receive an extra £3 million to continue its development. The project aims to address long-standing issues with congestion, road safety, goods vehicle traffic and air quality along the A473 through Llanharan, and would create a new 4km transport corridor with a walking and cycling route alongside. A planning application was formally submitted in April 2026.
The Cynon Gateway Link Road will receive £3 million towards its design and development. The planned 1.2km link road would connect the A4059 Aberdare Bypass to the Heads of the Valleys Road, to strengthen north-south transport links, ease traffic congestion locally including in Llwydcoed, and support the region’s economic growth. A process to appoint a main contractor has started, with detailed design work planned to begin next year.
The extra Highways and Transportation investment is subject to the wider £12.13 million Investment Priorities funding, agreed by Cabinet on Monday, being agreed by all elected members at the upcoming Full Council meeting in September 2026.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for Capital Infrastructure, said: “On Monday, Cabinet approved a significant, one-off investment of £12.13 million for Council priority areas this year. Having approved this important investment, Members then considered a separate report relating to the almost £10 million allocated to Highways and Engineering, detailing how the funding would be allocated.”
“Our major transportation schemes planned for Llanharan and the north of the Cynon Valley will each receive an extra £3 million, as officers progress their design and development. Both projects were previously included in the Wales Roads Review, and have been revised to ensure they conform with Welsh Government Transport Policy. They remain absolute commitments for the Council, further demonstrated by this significant additional funding for each.”
“The ongoing repair, maintenance and investment in our roads across the County Borough remains a key priority – and we’ve made excellent progress over the summer months to deliver 70 road resurfacing schemes since April 2026. The existing programme for 2026/27 was worth £6.6 million, and this is now added to considerably by a further £3.5 million investment – enabling us to add an extra 28 roads and 15 footways to this year’s pool of works.”
“We will also add two new unadopted roads schemes – in Aberaman and Gadlys – targeting streets in private ownership that have been left in an unacceptable condition. We’ve delivered at least 35 such schemes since 2021. Finally, an extra £250,000 is allocated to this year’s flood alleviation budget, as we continue to develop and deliver targeted works in our local communities for at-risk locations, responding to the threat of climate change.”
