Date confirmed for mountain road to reopen after fire repairs

Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter

A new date has been set for work to be finished on a mountain road which has been closed since July for repair work following a fire.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has said that, despite the best efforts to bring the target completion date for the Rhigos Mountain Road scheme forward, the work looks set to continue until Friday, November 22, which the authority said would ensure the safe and full completion of this major scheme.

The update from the contractors said that the final phase of work had proven extremely challenging, with a further 700 tonnes of rock needing to be removed and transported from the site, which was unexpected in the initial work programme.

Wildfire

The mountain road between Treherbert and Rhigos was closed from 22 July for works to be carried out to rectify damage from a previous wildfire at the Treherbert end of the road, which caused major damage across a significant area of the mountainside, as well as its netting and fencing.

The council said the closure was absolutely necessary to ensure safety throughout the scheme.

A spokesperson for the council said that at the start of the project they had hoped the work could be completed by the end of October, based on all of the information available.

But they said the new estimated completion date of November 22 was down to several contributing factors including weather conditions, very complex drilling conditions due to the nature of the geology, the quantity of loose material on one area of the rock-face and limited site access.

They said: “Maintaining the rockface’s stability during drilling work requires a steady approach, ensuring the risk of rockfall is safely controlled and that the contractor’s workforce is kept safe at all times.

“We’d like to thank local communities for their continued patience and cooperation, and we absolutely understand the disruption caused by the closure. However, we must get this project fully-completed to ensure the mountain road is available and safe into the future, which is what we all want.”

Challenging

The council said that, overall, the work had made “considerable” progress since the summer in a “very challenging” environment and that it was now entering its final stages with a series of intricate works.

The first two phases of work were completed on programme but the third and final phase has evolved into a much larger operation than expected, the council said.

The council said: “Without this work being completed thoroughly and fully, the rockface could deteriorate further. In this scenario, it is possible that an emergency closure would be needed over a much longer period of time.”