Rhigos Mountain Road to close for more than three months for repair work following large wildfire
A Valleys road will close for more than three months to replace rock netting that was destroyed in a wildfire.
The A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road, which connects people living in both the Rhondda and Cynon Valley, will shut from July 22 to the end of October so the repair work can take place.
Back in August 2022, a grass fire melted fencing on the roadside allowing boulders to fall onto the road itself.
People were warned to stay away from the area and specialist rope access contractors were brought in to remove loose material. They also inspected the netting to assess the full scale of damage, with emergency works carried out to make the area safe.
The council said at the time that the route was “extremely dangerous” with rocks falling on to the road and urged people not to attempt to access it.
Rhondda Cynon Taff Council has since announced a major repair scheme to rectify the damage.
The work will be carried out at the southern end of the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road, over a length of approximately 375-metres.
The council said the public right of way beneath A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road will "remain open for experienced walkers, but this route is not suitable for cyclists."
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Director of Highways, Streetcare and Transportation Services, said: “While there will be disruption due to this scheme, planned works seek to minimise this and reduce the risk of sporadic and longer term closures.
"These complex engineering works are necessary to ensure the safety of this important route, respond to the damage caused by grassfires in 2022, and importantly seek to future-proof the wider structural integrity of this mountain route.
“The works are unable to be carried out either wholly or partially at night, due to the complex nature of the remediation of the rock slope. Daylight hours are essential to provide safe conditions for the workforce to operate heavy machinery and undertake rope access to the large rockface and rock netting.
“The start of the works have been scheduled for the school summer holiday to minimise disruption as much as possible.
“The Council recognises the significant inconvenience this closure will cause for residents of both the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys, but due to the complicated civil engineering that is needed, there are no other viable alternatives available to complete these very necessary works.”
The council added that although work is scheduled to be completed by the end of October, the official road closure notice goes into December to allow the council to keep it shut for longer in case of any delays.
The road was also shut toward the end of last year for five days to remove some rocks that had collected in the protective mesh.
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