PLANS to fix the ongoing issues with a key road in Caerphilly county will be discussed with residents this week. 

Caerphilly County Borough Council have arranged a series of engagement sessions over the next few days this week. 

The sessions have been designed to reassure residents of the council's plans to fix the long-standing issues with the A469 between Pontlottyn and Tirphil. 

The road has been subject to a series of traffic calming measures in recent years, causing some significant disruption to the daily lives of residents in the area. 

Caerphilly Council have confirmed they have been working closely with specialist consultants to consider options to help address the ongoing concerns.

A spokesperson for the council explained: "The land above and below the road has experienced significant movement over recent years - and this is continuing - requiring the need for traffic lights to be put in place to limit the amount of traffic on the road.

"Preliminary design options have now been developed and the council is keen to share the proposals with the community, so that everyone understands the scale of works required to address this significant problem." 

A number of landslips in recent years have led to a need for emergency repairs, meaning the A469 has been reduced to a single lane controlled by traffic lights.

Caerphilly Council has received funding from Welsh Government to allow them to undertake detailed ground investigations, on-going monitoring of ground movements, ground water levels and rainfall data which has fed into a preliminary design proposal. The next step is detailed design.

Local residents and businesses alike are now being invited to these engagement drop-in sessions during this week to help allay any concerns about the plans for the road. 

Representatives from both Caerphilly County Borough Council and their consultants will be on hand to discuss plans and answer any remaining concerns anyone may have. 

The engagement sessions will run on the following days at these locations and times: 

  • Rhymney Library - Wednesday, July 17 11.30am - 3pm
  • Abertysswg Community Centre - Thursday, July 18 11.45am - 1.00pm
  • St Tyfaelog Church Hall, Pontlottyn - Thursday, July 18 2.30pm - 5.30pm
  • New Tredegar Library - Friday,  July 19 10.30am - 12.30pm
  • Deri Community Centre - Friday, July 19 2.30pm - 5.30pm

What are the next steps?

If the proposed scheme is implemented it will have the following benefits:

• Improve the quality of the road’s surface which will enable the road’s speed limit to be reinstated.

• Temporary traffic lights will be removed which will improve journey times.

• Reduce the need for ongoing road closures which are currently required to seal up cracks in the road.

• Utility apparatus within the highway will be protected from damage due to ongoing ground movements.

• An early warning system will be considered to forewarn of significant ground movement.

The appearance of the A469 following the remediation scheme will remain very similar to the current situation, although the remediation structures may be visible to occupants of passing vehicles.