The end is in sight for the Brecon Bypass roadworks which have been ongoing for around two years since a landslide caused mud and trees to cover the carriageway.
Storm Dennis hit the country in February 2020, bringing with it chaos across the UK - including Powys - such as flooding, fallen trees and the landslide near Brynich roundabout on the A40.
Since the landslide which happened on the weekend of February 15 and 16, only one lane has been open on the bypass with motorists being warned to drive carefully past the road workers.
A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request, submitted by Defynnog resident, revealed that the roadworks are expected to come to an end by the end of March.
The resident said he made the FOI request as local residents have been surprised by the “apparent complexity” of the repair works and the duration of closure of the lane.
The response from the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency - the Welsh Government’s road agency for the area - said: “Work began on clearing the investigation to the landslip as soon as it happened during Storm Dennis on the weekend of 15-16 February, 2020.
“Work on the A40 Brecon Bypass Landslide scheme is programmed to be completed with both lanes open by the end of march 2022.”
The FOI request also revealed that the cost of the repairs - called the A40 Brecon Bypass Landslide Scheme - to date is £1,344,359.52 with the expected over all cost of the scheme predicted to be in the region of £1,969,000.
The request also asked how much of the cost at completion had gone to Amberon Ltd who have been present at the site while the roadworks have been undertaken since 2020, however the Welsh Government road agency pointed out the company is a sub-contractor to its main contractor.
The trunk road agency said in the FOI response: “Please note that due to the nature of the commission and the fact that Amberon are a sub-contractor to our Main Contractor the Agency is not sighted on the actual payments that are made to Amberon.
“However, we can provide an estimate of the cost attributed to the Traffic Management (TM) for the lane closure for the period from February 17, 2020, until December 31, 2021, which was £582k.
“A further spend of £78k is expected between January and the completion of the work. Please note that some of the TM costs are not directly attributable to the A40 Brecon Bypass Landslide Scheme as other works were undertaken during the lane closure e.g. Central Vehicle Restraint System Installed along other Lighting upgrades / Bridge and Verge Maintenance works / Tree felling / Retaining Wall repair.”
As part of the roadworks, the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency looked to improve the site to prevent a similar event in future and “minimise future storm damage”.
The Brecon & Radnor Express asked the Welsh Government: why the repair had cost almost £2m; why it had taken more than two years to complete; and, if the Welsh Government had put anything in place to protect the road in a case a scenario similar to Storm Dennis arose again.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said that extensive design work was needed before commencing work on site. This entailed ground investigation by specialist drilling rigs capable of working on the steep slopes above the A40.
The information was then used to investigate the failure and design a geotechnical solution for the site. The full length of the slope above the trunk road was inspected and drainage improvement works were carried out to future proof the site.
This work was in addition to the geotechnical structural repair and reinstatement of the failed sections of the slope, to ensure the long term safety of road users.
The Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The damage caused by Storm Dennis was extensive. Highway maintenance and improvement works combined with significant earthworks were required to repair the road and make it resilient to minimise future storm damage.”