Mountain Road Closure for Safety Works to Continue into November, Confirms RCT Council

The closure of a mountain road for safety works will continue into November, a council has said.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council has confirmed that the Rhigos Mountain Road closure will continue into early November as a result of the ongoing complexities experienced in one area since repair works started.
The council said that the new estimated time-scale is 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 the one phase of the rock-face and limited site access.
The mountain road between Treherbert and Rhigos was closed from July 22 for safety reasons during a scheme aiming 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 and its netting and fencing.
The council said that repairs to Rhigos Mountain Road are, overall, progressing well and that the works are critical to future proofing this key route.
The council said: “As the major mountainside repairs are entering their final stages with a series of intricate works, the contractor is making constant progress with the complex works programme in a challenging environment.”
Without this work the council has said that it was possible that the rock face could deteriorate further, requiring an emergency closure over a much longer period.
The first two phases are on target to be completed on programme and the overall project remains on track to be completed by the contractual completion date.
A spokesperson for the council said that at the start of the work, the council had hoped it could be completed by the end of October, but also planned to go beyond this if required adding that this update does not represent a lengthy delay to the scheme, with it now estimated to run into the first seven to 10 days of November.
The council said all 28 foundations and posts for the large rockfall attenuators have now been installed across zones one and two of the works site.
This involves the installation of a large technical fencing system to catch rockfall, starting from the crest of the rock face and continuing right down to the bottom, next to the road.
Cables and anchors are currently being installed, while assembly of the attenuators is ongoing with mesh panels recently put up.
Extensive rock bolt testing has been completed across zones one and two, while minor earthworks and clearance work is also ongoing in these areas.
In zone three, the installation of a series of mesh is complete while foundations for the rockfall attenuator at this location have been finished, with assembly of the attenuator itself scheduled to follow.
Preparatory work is under way for the installation of a rockfall barrier, while works on its foundations are planned for the next stages of the process.
The council spokesperson said: “We’d like to thank local communities for their continued patience and cooperation, and we absolutely understand the closure’s disruption. 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.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​