RCT Council funding for highways and transportation in 2020/21
Welsh Government has awarded the Council £3.358m of highways and transportation funding for 2020/21, to invest in park and ride schemes, bus stops and road safety – and to further develop major highway investments in Coed Ely, Llanharan and upper Cynon Valley.
In May 2020, the Council agreed a £25.02m Highways Capital Programme for 2020/21, bringing the total investment in highways and transportation since 2015/16 to £146m. The latest Capital Programme shows that improving the highway network continues to be a Council investment priority – and other schemes will come forward during the year support by external funding opportunities to help deliver additional local highway improvements.
The Council has recently received confirmation of its successful applications to Welsh Government for grant funding within the current financial year.
This includes £2.73m across the Local Transport Fund (LTF) and the Local Transport Network Fund (LTNF), £419,500 from the Safe Routes in Communities Fund and £201,710 in Road Safety Grants. A brief summary of the confirmed funding allocations has been included below:
- Major Economic Infrastructure (LTF), £1.4m – to further progress the ongoing strategic highway improvement schemes at Coed Ely, Llanharan, Gelli and Cynon Gateway North (Aberdare Bypass).
- Interchange Package (LTF), £602,000 – park and ride extension on the Treherbert line and a new station at Treforest Industrial Estate.
- Bus Priority Package (LTNF), £235,000 – Designing and upgrading bus stops in the Cynon Valley and Taff areas.
- A4119 Strategic Corridor (LTNF), £500,000 – Design/development.
- Safe Routes in Communities, £419,500 – funding for delivery of two schemes, in Cilfynydd and Llantrisant.
- Road Safety Capital, £140,000 – funding for the delivery ofsafety measures on the A4061 Rhigos Road, from Treherbert to Rhigos.
- Road Safety Revenue, £61,710 – funding to deliver education and training.
The Council will also benefit from funding allocated to Merthyr Tydfil CBC for the Cardiff Capital Region Transport Authority, which will allow delivery of an electrical charging network for taxis to be started across the 10 South East Wales council areas – together with a range of Metro-related projects which will be confirmed shortly.
The Council has also bid for Active Travel and Resilient Roads funding, and has more recently submitted an expression of interest to Welsh Government for funding to deal with transport opportunities related to COVID-19.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways, said: “The Council’s significant funding for highways and transportation continues in 2020/21, with another multi-million pound Capital Programme to deliver road, transport and active travel investment, while future-proofing our highway network.
“It is also important to complement the Council’s own investment through external funding opportunities, and I welcome the recently confirmed £3.358m funding across a number of Welsh Government grants for 2020/21 – covering important areas from park and ride development to bus stop upgrades, road safety improvements and safe routes schemes within our communities.
"The Local Transport Fund allocation will also allow us to make further progress in delivering a number of major schemes in the future – including the Llanharan Bypass, the A4119 dualling from Coedely to Ynysmaerdy and the Cynon Valley Gateway North (Aberdare Bypass extension), all of which are making progress behind the scenes for delivery in a future financial year.”
