Heads of The Valleys, A465

The A465 road is a major infrastructure project connecting west Wales with the upper ends of the Welsh valleys and then to the English midlands. It is one of the key corridors and international gateways for the South Wales economy. It connects the M4 at Neath to Abergavenny and Hereford. The existing A465 was built in the 1960s and is a single three-lane carriageway with two lanes in the uphill direction and one in the downhill direction. A regional traffic study in 1990 identified the need to improve this road. The width of the road restricts traffic flow and opportunities for safe overtaking. In many areas, there is poor visibility. Accidents on this stretch are concentrated around junctions and areas with poor visibility.

The Welsh government has a long programme of work to address shortcomings and make the road suitable to help sustain industry and tourism in south and west Wales. These improvements to the A465 are critical to the social and economic regeneration of the Heads of the Valleys area. This project will improve access to key services, jobs and markets supporting inward investment in areas such as the Ebbw Vale enterprise zone.