Part of Rhigos Mountain Road to close for three months to repair fire damage

Part of a major Welsh road is to close for three months as work gets underway to repair fire damage to a mountain.

Motorists and cyclists have been warned that there will be disruption on part of the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road as "complex engineering works" take place to fix damage to the mountain caused by a major fire.

The road will close from Monday, July 22 as engineers attempt to make the mountain safe after damage caused to the protective netting on the slopes by a 2022 grass fire.

A full road closure is being put in place in order to rectify the damage. The repair scheme is currently scheduled to conclude by the end of October 2024.

The work area is located at the southern end of the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road, over a length of approximately 375-metres.

The public right of way beneath A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road will remain open for experienced walkers, however, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has said the 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."

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