A470 Cardiff to Glan Conwy road, Wales
About the Project
- Principal designer: Arup
- Client: Welsh Assembly Government
- Principal contractor: Laing O'Rourke Civil Engineering
- Principal Engineer: Halcrow
- Contract value: £18.171 million
This road improvement scheme within the Snowdonia National Park involved the revitalisation of 7.2 km of the A470 through the Lledr Valley, to the south of Betws-y-Coed. The project has improved road safety and journey time reliability of this vital highway link for Wales by upgrading it to modern standards, whilst simultaneously retaining a genuine focus on environmental enhancement.
Key environmental objkectives included recycling materials, waste reduction and minimising transportation needs, and the scheme even involved writing a design guide for roads in upland areas, whose content was ratified via a public inquiry.
The original road pavement was retained where possible, and excavated material was reused. The road improvement also included a conservation scheme for various species and habitats - it incorporates a bat hibernaculum, extensive refuges in the walls and otter passages.
Branded 'arguably the greenest road in Britain' by the National Farmers' Union's Countryside magazine, the project was also within budget and completed five months early.
The Judges said:
"With a great use of local materials and representing a very soft addition to the environment, this scheme shows that roads can also be specific to their geography."