Welsh Government transport funding boost for Rhondda Cynon Taf
The Council will benefit from a further £2.67m funding for Highways and Transportation schemes in 2018/19 from the Welsh Government – which in addition had also allocated a separate £1.5m to the Mountain Ash Cross Valley Link in late March 2018.
The Highways funding has been confirmed as the Welsh Government announced details of its £25.9m Local Transport Fund (LTF) for 2018/19.
Local Authorities in Wales were invited to submit applications for funding for their priority schemes, and Rhondda Cynon Taf has been successful in five areas – including Safe Routes in the Communities (£165,000), Road Safety Capital Grant (£394,000), Road Safety Revenue Grant (£119,000), Local Transport Fund (£1.69m) and Local Transport Network Fund (£300,000).
The Safe Routes in the Communities funding allows the Council to carry out the second phase of its Safe Routes scheme in Porth, completing works at Rheola Road. It also provides partial funding for design, survey and land purchase development for a Safe Routes scheme in Pontyclun.
The Road Safety Capital Grant funds the second phase of significant ongoing improvement works at the B4595 Llantrisant Road/Gwaunmiskin Road junction, also known as Beddau Halt. The Road Safety Revenue Grant will fund road safety education and training carried out by the Council.
The Local Transport Fund (LTF) will help the Council continue the design and development of Active Travel routes, identified on an integrated network map sent to Welsh Government in November. It allocates £200,000 to support delivery of the South East Wales Metro, provides £787,000 funding for Phase 2 of Abercynon Park and Ride Scheme, and allocates £300,000 for further public transport improvements along the strategic A4119 corridor.
The LTF allocates £368,000 for the Council’s flagship Mountain Ash Cross Valley Link, while the Council has also been informed that an additional £1.5m Welsh Government funding has been granted. It brings the total allocation of funding for the scheme to £11.92m – of which £4.89m can be attributed to the Welsh Government.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways, said: “The Welsh Government’s Local Transport Fund for 2018/19 has confirmed that Rhondda Cynon Taf will receive £2.67m to help deliver local Highway schemes – and this important, external funding continues to be welcomed by the Council.
“Future-proofing our Highway network continues to be a Council priority through #RCTinvest, and in 2017/18 more than £20m was allocated for Highways and Transportation schemes, alongside significant Welsh Government funding received last year. Since 2011, more than £91m has been invested by the Council to improve our Highways and a further £23.6m has been allocated in our 2018/19 Capital Programme.
“The LTF will allow further progress on Safe Routes schemes in Porth and Pontyclun, and gives additional funding to the Beddau Halt junction – bringing the total allocation to more than £600,000 for this improvement scheme. It also allocates more than three-quarters-of-a-million pounds to the second phase of the Abercynon Park and Ride Scheme, which has the potential to create more than 300 new parking spaces at Abercynon Railway Station.
“The additional £1.86m for the Mountain Ash Cross Valley Link is also welcomed, as works continue to progress on the A4059/Cwm Cynon Industrial Estate junction, ahead of the construction of the new link road later this year.”
Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates, announcing the LTF funding on April 18, said: “The grants are a substantial investment to support local economic growth, improve road safety, enhance public transport facilities and provide more and better routes that enable people in Wales to walk and cycle and to do so safely.
“I commend the range of schemes I’ve been able to announce today, and the high quality of applications we received across these grants.”
