Cabinet has agreed a proposed supplementary capital programme that would invest a further £6m for Highways and Strategic Projects in 2024/25, on top of the Council’s major capital programme already being delivered this year.
At the Cabinet meeting on Thursday, September 19, a £6.95m investment was agreed for Council priority areas, which will now be considered at the meeting of Full Council on September 25. In total, £6m of the funding is earmarked for the Highways and Transportation service – across Roads and Footways (£2.5m), the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor (£1m), Structures (£2.25m), and the Making Better Use Programme (£250,000).
As a result, a separate agenda item to Thursday’s meeting outlined how the additional funding could be allocated, by proposing a supplementary capital programme. This is on top of the £30.894m Highways, Transportation and Strategic Projects Capital Programme agreed in March 2024 for this financial year, which is in the process of being delivered up to March 31, 2025.
Using extra funding for Roads and Footways, the programme identifies 31 new carriageway resurfacing schemes and 15 footway improvements. The full list of schemes is included within an Appendix to the Cabinet report.
The allocation for Structures would be used to progress three named bridge schemes – bearing replacement at Rheola Bridge in Porth, strengthening of the Llanwonno Railway Bridge in Stanleytown, and concrete repairs to Glan y Llyn Bridge in Glyntaff. The funding would also enable advanced preparation, feasibility work and site investigations across various other bridge schemes.
The Structures funding would also progress two wall replacement or repair schemes – Gynor Place retaining wall in Ynyshir and Brook Street/A4058 river wall in Porth/Trehafod. Similarly, advanced preparation, feasibility work and site investigations would be progressed for various other wall schemes.
The Council’s Making Better Use Programme identifies low-cost, high-value improvements for sections of the road network – to improve traffic flow, ease congestion, and increase road safety. The new funding would help undertake feasibility, preliminary and detailed designs where appropriate.
Finally, the allocation for the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor would support the future scheme to progress through its design and planning stages.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, said: “This year’s capital programme for Highways and Transportation is already in the process of delivering £30.894m worth of funding across our network – from road and footway renewals to maintaining and improving bridges, walls, culverts, street lighting, traffic signals and drainage, and progressing larger strategic projects.
“The extra funding considered on Thursday would be over and above our annual capital programme – providing further funding of £6m for the service this year. I’m pleased Cabinet has agreed the details of a supplementary programme, which outlines how this investment will be specifically targeted – and this could be fully-approved at the Full Council meeting on September 25.
“We’re already in the process of delivering a combined investment of £7.5m for road and footway renewals this year, and the extra £2.5m funding would add 46 schemes to this year’s programme. This continues our accelerated funding approach that has enhanced the level of investment in our roads over the past decade, significantly reducing the number that are in need of repair.
“Each year we invest heavily to future-proof the structures supporting our road network – and this year’s capital programme includes a £6.58m budget, plus £3.61m funding from Welsh Government that is dedicated to Storm Dennis repairs. The proposed £2.25m funding would progress five named bridge or retaining wall schemes in Porth, Stanleytown, Glyntaff, Ynyshir and Trehafod.
“Important work is also ongoing behind the scenes to progress the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor towards its delivery in a future financial year. In March, it was announced that the major scheme has been re-designed to embed public transport and active travel in its core – and the new £1m funding would contribute to the project’s key design and planning stages.”
Posted on 24/09/2024