A479 road

The A479, officially also known as the Glanusk Park (Crickhowell)—Llyswen Trunk Road, is a trunk road in Wales. It connects Crickhowell to Llyswen via the Rhiangoll valley and Talgarth, running through the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The A479 bypassing Bronllys

Route

The road starts at Glanusk Park near Crickhowell and runs roughly in a northerly direction to Llyswen, where it joins the A470 road. It runs entirely within the county of Powys and is a single carriageway throughout its length.[1] From Crickhowell to Talgarth, the road is in the Brecon Beacons National Park, and follows the Rhiangoll valley.[2][3] The southern end is near Tretower Castle and Court.[4]

History
A479 north of Tretower

The A479 originally ran through Builth Wells to Rhayader. This part of the road is now the A470.[5][6] A short section of road near Llyswen was realigned in 1995.[7]

A bypass of Talgarth and Bronllys began construction in 2006. Part of the Talgarth bypass runs on the former Mid-Wales Railway. Because this part of the road runs through the Brecon Beacons, additional treatment was needed to minimise disruption with the nearby countryside. This included a specific alignment of the highway, and replanting of hedgerows to fit in with the existing parts of the road. The bypass opened in 2009.[2]

Traffic

In 2005, the A479 was listed as one of the most dangerous roads in Wales in an AA Motorway Trust report.[8] In 2013, another report suggested the same.[9]

The section of the A479 between Pengenffordd and Talgarth has had regular issues with subsidence. A section south of Talgarth was closed in March 2016.[10] In February 2017, the road was closed for an extended period in order to lay new foundation work.[11] In February 2020, a section of the road near Talgarth was closed following a collapse during Storm Dennis. The damage affected the surface and foundation of the road, resulting it being closed until November.[12][13]

See also

References
  1. "The A479 Trunk Road (Glanusk Park to Llyswen, Powys) (Temporary Speed Restrictions and No Overtaking) Order 2016" (PDF). Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  2. "A479 Talgarth Relief Road and Bronllys Bypass". CEEqual. March 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. "FINAL PROPOSALS Community No. B16 - LLANFIHANGEL CWMDU WITH BWLCH AND CATHEDINE" (PDF). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. "Tretower Castle". Brecon Beacons National Park. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. Montgomery and Llandrindod Wells (Map). Ordnance Survey 7th Series. 1961. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. "A road to love for". Institute of Welsh Affairs. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. "The Glanusk Park (Crickhowell)-Llyswen Trunk Road (A479) (Dderw Improvement) Order 1995". Department for Transport (England and Wales). 8 September 1995. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  8. "Survey lists Welsh danger roads". BBC News. 9 March 2005. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. "Revealed: Wales' most dangerous roads". Wales Online. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  10. "The A479 Trunk Road (Lower Genffordd Bends & Pengenffordd, South of Talgarth, Powys) (Temporary Prohibition of Vehicles) Order 2016" (PDF). Traffic Wales. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  11. "A479 Talgarth - Pengenffordd - Crickhowell - What's really going on?". 7 February 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  12. "A479 Lower Genffordd Bends – Road Closure". Traffic Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  13. "A479 Lower Genffordd Bends near Talgarth - Essential embankment strengthening works - (Current – 11/2020)". Traffic Wales. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
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