A contractor is now appointed for the upcoming scheme to the Blaen-y-Cwm Road river wall – to carry out preliminary work in April and full repairs from May, when seasonal restrictions on working within the river come to an end.
Large sections of the structure were damaged during the unprecedented weather of Storm Dennis in February 2020. The wall supports the highway at Blaen-y-Cwm Road, and one lane has been brought out of use in order to ensure public safety. The Council has used traffic lights to keep the route open, while the condition of the wall and the road are closely monitored.
The first phase of work was undertaken from September 2020, which successfully repaired and repointed a significant length of the river wall. The Council made it clear that a second phase of work would be needed to rectify the remaining damaged section of the structure, starting during spring 2021.
The Council has now appointed Centregreat as the contractor responsible for delivering the remainder of the scheme. This includes site activity next month along with the full repair scheme from May 2021 – to adhere to restrictions that are in place relating to working within the river during autumn and winter.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways and Transportation, said: “The appointment of a contractor for the remaining phase of repairs to Blaen-y-Cwm Road has now been achieved, as this priority scheme is further progressed. We made as much progress as possible when last on site from September 2020, completing repairs to a significant proportion of the wall, but the remaining repairs have had to wait due to the restrictions on river works.
“The Council remains committed to repairing the huge infrastructure damage caused by Storm Dennis – a task we will still be addressing across the County Borough in the months and years to come. In the year following Storm Dennis, the Council investigated 2,500 reports of flooding and inspected 48km of watercourse assets, which led to the removal of 2,000 tonnes of debris.
“Work to numerous structures is also ongoing, and the Council has recently completed the repairs to M&S Bridge in Pontypridd – which saw it reopen to the public on March 19 to re-establish an important link between the town centre and Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. We have also announced plans for the first phase of repairs at White Bridge in Pontypridd, to start in the coming months. The Council last month welcomed additional £4.4m funding from Welsh Government towards ongoing repairs across the County Borough.
“The newly-appointed contractor for the Blaen-y-Cwm Road river wall will start site activity in April. This will be in preparation for the full repair scheme from May, with all work expected to be completed in late summer or early autumn 2021. I’d like to thank the local community for their continued cooperation, as we work towards reopening both lanes on this section of Blaen-y-Cwm Road.”
