Construction of a new pedestrian crossing at Brecon Road in Hirwaun will start on Monday – as part of the Council’s safe routes in communities work in areas which have benefitted from 21^st Century Schools investment.

The new safe crossing point for the community will be located near Brecon Road’s junction with Cross Street, in order to create a safer environment for pedestrians who wish to cross the main road. The work will also include new streetlights, kerbs and paving to deliver further improvements at this location.

The pedestrian crossing is being funded by the Council to complement the new £10.2m, 21^st Century Schools facilities for the nearby Hirwaun Primary School – which was a recent joint investment alongside Welsh Government.

The school is now benefitting from a brand new state-of-the-art building, along with a series of external improvements including two Multi Use Games Areas, a grass sports field, a yard and a car park. The project contractor Morgan Sindall completed the full delivery of the scheme at the end of April 2021.

Work to deliver the pedestrian crossing will begin from Monday, May 17, and requires temporary traffic lights along Brecon Road from 9am to 5pm each day for the duration of the scheme. The work is scheduled to last four weeks.

Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “An important aspect of the Council’s investment in 21^st Century Schools is its commitment to improving the local safe routes to schools – for the benefit of parents and pupils accessing the new facilities, and also for use by the wider community.

“The upcoming work in Hirwaun is the latest example of this type of highway investment – after similar work in Cwmaman, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail and Treorchy was delivered after those areas benefitted from 21^st Century Schools projects in 2018/19. Separate safe routes schemes which were not linked to school investment were also delivered in Abercynon and Llwynypia in 2020, and have also progressed so far through 2021 at Cilfynydd and Llantrisant.

“The new pedestrian crossing at Brecon Road will take around four weeks to complete, requiring traffic lights to ensure safety. The Council will work as quickly as possible to deliver project, to complement the excellent new school facilities which will benefit local families in Hirwaun for years to come.”