Heads of the Valleys stretch shuts for upgrade works

A stretch of the Heads of the Valleys road in south east Wales will be closed in both directions this weekend in the latest phase of a £800m A465 upgrade.

The five-mile (8km) stretch between Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, and Gilwern, in Monmouthshire, shuts at 20:30 GMT on Friday and reopens on Monday at 06:00.

It is part of a four-year project to turn the road into a dual-carriageway which will be completed late in 2018.

Drivers are being diverted on the A467 and A4042 via Pontypool.

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The latest Heads of the Valleys improvement will cost about £220m as part of a 20-year project - set to be completed in 2020 - for the route that links Swansea and the main A40 trunk road at Abergavenny.

The Welsh Government described the route as "a crucial artery of our transport network and the principal road link between west Wales and the Midlands".

The upgrade work involves widening the existing road which passes through Clydach Gorge, considered one of south Wales' most important "environmental and ecologically sensitive areas".

The Welsh Government said the road improvements will improve safety and journey times.