Cabinet has agreed a £29.647 million Capital Programme for Highways, Transportation and Strategic Projects next year – ensuring significant funding continues to be made available for priorities like flood alleviation, and improving local roads. Funding bids to external grants could increase the total funding for the service to more than £40 million in 2025/26.
On Wednesday, March 19, Members approved the programme, confirming capital allocations for Highways Technical Services (£18.41 million) and Strategic Projects (£11.237 million) for the financial year starting in April 2025. This funding is aimed at future-proofing the road network, adapting to evolving methods of travel, responding to climate change, and alleviating flood risk. Details of named projects are included in Wednesday’s Cabinet report.
The programme complements many funding bids made by the Council to Welsh Government for 2025/26 – across flood alleviation, Road Safety Revenue and Capital grants, Safe Routes in the Community, Active Travel Fund, Local Transport Fund (including Resilient Roads), and refining the 20mph initiative. Outcomes of the bids will be received in the weeks ahead.
Welsh Government funding for Storm Dennis repairs concluded in 2024/25 following major annual programmes of work since 2020, while the effects of Storm Bert in November 2024 are still being assessed. Affected projects could require future funding. Capital and revenue funding for coal tips continues into 2025/26, confirmed in an announcement by Welsh Government on March 19, 2025, including the major ongoing remediation of the Tylorstown Landslip.
The Council also continues to support the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and the South Wales Metro, which will deliver electrification of the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil lines, and increase the frequency of rail services.
Highways Technical Services
The programme allocates £6.94 million for carriageways – including 78 full resurfacing schemes (named in the Appendix to Wednesday’s Cabinet report),along with minor surface repairs, preventative treatments, fencing and barrier repairs, and emergency repairs. In addition, funding is earmarked for seven footway renewals (£556,000) and various access improvements.
For unadopted roads, a £200,000 allocation extends the programme by four schemes – located at The Pandy in Hirwaun, Jenkin Street in Hopkinstown, Sion Place in Cwmbach, and Troedpennar Terrace in Abercynon.
A £9.95 million budget for Highways Structures now agreed, with several schemes carried over from last year. The programme includes Brook Street footbridge (Ystrad), Afon Cynon bridge (Cwmbach), A4059 Commercial Street footbridge (Aberdare), Victoria Bridge (Pontypridd), Llanwonno Road railway bridge (Stanleytown), Beechwood Road culvert (Taffs Well), Rhigos Road (Treherbert), Cross Bychan river bridge (Aberdare), Royal Oak Bridge (Abercynon), and railings and junction work at White Bridge (Trallwn). Advanced preparation will be completed for further schemes.
In addition, a scheme to replace Feeder Pipe footbridge (Abercynon) was in its construction phase when the work site was washed away by Storm Bert. Options for progression are being considered. The storm event also damaged a highway retaining wall at River Row (Abercynon) and a culvert at Mill Road (Ynysybwl), and repairs for both are included in the 2025/26 programme.
Elsewhere, £250,000 funding for Parks Structures will progress work to repair Castellau Road footbridge (Beddau) and Llantwit Fardre footbridge. The £330,000 Street Lighting programme covers work to refurbish traffic signals and improve street lighting, while core budgets for small scale Traffic Management schemes (£120,000) and Car Parks (£40,000) are funded.
Strategic Projects
The Council consistently benefits from Welsh Government support for Land Drainage/Flood Risk improvements, with the Council match-funding 15% of the value. A rolling three-year capital programme identifies local projects, and business cases are subsequently submitted with the aim of securing funding.
In total, 15 larger Individual Flood Alleviation Schemes are submitted to Welsh Government for 2025/26 at a value of £3.6 million. Among these schemes are the further design and development of the major Treorchy and Pentre Flood Alleviation Schemes. In addition, funding bids for 13 Small Scale Schemes are submitted at a total value of £1.97 million, along with bids for 18 Resilient Roads Fund schemes, collectively valued at £3.1 million.
Currently, £2.070 million is allocated for flood alleviation in total – £1,007 million from the Council’s Drainage/Flood Risk Improvements Programme, and the remainder from secured grants. If all bids are successful, it would represent further funding of £6.1 million. Funding is also allocated to develop schemes outside of the current year’s programme (£25,000), along with funding for small works identified during flooding investigations (£75,000).
Important Transportation funding is allocated to two priority schemes – the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor (£5.05 million) and the A465 Cynon Gateway Transit Corridor (£1.124 million). Both schemes were subject to Welsh Government’s Roads Review and not initially supported. The Llanharan scheme has been refined to embed sustainable transport, public transport and active travel as core themes. Welsh Governmenthas indicated its support in principle for the changes, and the design and development of the project is continuing. The Cynon Gateway scheme is at an earlier stage and the Council is looking at options on the potential to proceed.
The A4119 Coed Ely dualling scheme was substantially completed in early March 2025, and £1.2 million is allocated to maintain peripheral work and other long-term project costs. The continued review of traffic challenges facing Rhondda Fawr, focusing on Stag Square in Treorchy, is allocated £384,000 funding, with the aim of establishing a sustainable solution.
In addition, £500,000 for the Park and Ride Programme has been provided, to create extra parking at railway stations alongside the delivery of the South Wales Metro. The Treorchy Park and Ride project is nearing completion and due to be opened in May 2025, while the Council has bid to the Local Transport Fund to help deliver further parking capacity at the newly-opened Porth Transport Hub.
Funding of £878,000 for the Making Better Use Programme will target low-cost, high-value improvements to resolve accessibility and connectivity issues. An element of this work will be focusing on the A4059 and A4119 corridors.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, said: “Our major capital investment across Highways and Transportation services will continue in 2025/26 with a now-agreed £29.647 million programme – which could rise to over £40 million if our various external funding bids are successful.
“Meeting new expectations for storm and flood events is rightly a key focus across much of the work programme – whether that’s through dedicated flood alleviation schemes, or in the design of our other projects. Following Storm Dennis in 2020, we’ve completed four years of repair and improvement schemes and spent over £100 million on targeted flood alleviation work – and while Storm Bert in November 2024 indicated that this work proved effective, we understand that further investment is needed to protect our communities.
“Submissions for 46 new schemes are therefore included in the 2025/26 capital programme, across Welsh Government funding avenues for larger flood alleviation work, small scale schemes, and Resilient Roads. More than £2 million is already allocated to flood alleviation work, and these additional funding bids could increase the overall funding by a further £6.1 million.
“Maintaining local roads continues to be a priority, with 78 new schemes earmarked for next year using £6.94 million funding. Our accelerated funding approach in this area has been ongoing for many years, reflecting in a general trend of improvement. Our programme to repair and adopt private roads that have not been maintained to an acceptable standard also continues, with four schemes in Hirwaun, Hopkinstown, Cwmbach and Abercynon now added.
“Highways Structures is another key investment area, with many large repair and maintenance projects required across Rhondda Cynon Taf communities. They often need very complex design and engineering work, while there are other considerations such as constraints for seasonal working in rivers. A £9.95 million budget is agreed for 2025/26, which also includes three known repair schemes across Ynysybwl and Abercynon following Storm Bert.
“Funding of more than £6 million is allocated across the A465 Cynon Gateway Transit Corridor and Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor. Development of these major schemes continues, with principle agreement received from Welsh Government for Llanharan, as we look to provide solutions to the major local traffic challenges. Finally, our Park and Ride Programme will ensure the provision at Treorchy Railway Station is completed, while we’re exploring funding avenues to further increase parking at the new Porth Transport Hub.
“Following the agreement of Cabinet on Wednesday, the new Highways, Transportation and Strategic Projects Capital Programme will be adopted by the Council, and will be delivered over the next 12 months from April 1, 2025.”
Posted on 21/03/2025