Heads of the Valleys: The A465 that’s had roadworks for 23 years

The £1.6bn M4 relief road south of Newport’s Brynglas Tunnels congestion hotspot was axed in 2019 – 29 years after it was first proposed – because of its cost and impact on the environment.

Almost four times as many cars a day use that stretch of motorway than the Heads of the Valleys road.

“We don’t want to invest in those areas that are already successful and where there’s already opportunity and plenty of jobs,” added Skates.

But those in the communities near the long-running roadworks have been affected the most.

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Tanya Houghton, from Merthyr Tydfil.

“It’s been terrible as my partner has been working in that direction so getting to and from work has been a nightmare, I’ll be glad when it’s finished and I think it’ll be worth it.”