The A4119 links
Tonypandy
Tonypandy is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the town ...
with
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
in
South Wales.
Route
City and County of Cardiff
![Cathedral Road Cardiff](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Cathedral_Road_Cardiff.jpg)
The A4119 starts outside the
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre ( cy, Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru) is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 an ...
at
Cardiff Bay and proceeds through
Butetown
Butetown (or ''The Docks'', cy, Tre-biwt) is a district and community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early 19th century by the 2nd Marquess of Bute, for whose t ...
,
Grangetown,
Riverside and
Cathedral Road in
Canton until meeting the
A48 road
The A48 is a trunk road in Great Britain running from the A40 at Highnam, west of Gloucester, England, to the A40 at Carmarthen, Wales. Before the Severn Bridge opened on 8 September 1966, it was a major route between England and South ...
(Western Avenue) at
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
.
From here is proceeds through Llandaff passing the former
BBC Wales studios. After leaving Llandaff the road takes on a more rural setting with many bends crossing the M4 Motorway near Capel Llanitern. From here the road snakes passed the settlement of
Creigiau
Creigiau is a dormitory settlement in the north-west of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The village currently has about 1,500 houses and a population of approximately 5,000 people. The Cardiff electoral ward is called Creigiau/St. Fagans. The ...
.
Rhondda Cynon Taf
The road enters the
County Borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
of
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...
(formerly
Mid-Glamorgan
, Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council
, Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–)
, Start= 1974
, End= 1996
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
) at
Groes-faen
Groes-faen is a village approximately three miles south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is in the historic county of Glamorgan.
The village began as a hamlet in the 1860s near a trade route from Cowbridge to ...
. The road continues through the Village until it comes to a T-Junction at The Castell Mynach Public House. To the left is a Spur of the A4119 that links to Junction 34 of the
M4 Motorway. Off the roundabout at the Junction is the
Bosch Electronics Plant.
The road continues after the t-junction past Miskin and Mwyndy.
Development of Infrastructure in Talbot Green
The A4119 through Talbot Green was first built circa 1977 as a single carriageway passing to the side of the village straight on to Ely Valley Road, easing pressure off the original small lanes that lead from Talbot Green to the area known as Mwyndy, south of the village. The road here was built at the same time as an extension of the original Talbot – Cardiff road, leading to Junction 34 of the
M4 Motorway, and creating better access to the lanes leading to the
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol ...
.
At Mwyndy Cross, you can still see the original lane that the road used, signposted "Arthur Llewelyn Jenkins", the lane is accessible to the furniture store and as far as Cefn-y-Parc cemetery but is blocked at the bypass.
There is a roundabout with the
Talbot Green Bypass after passing Mwyndy Cross and the original roads – the A473 Pontypridd to Bridgend Road. This roundabout was added when the bypass was built in 1991 and was improved during mid 2016 to mid 2017 to add extra dedicated lanes and a traffic lighting system. Another roundabout, was located at the base of Llantrisant, where the A473 originally ran. When the bypass was built, it cut off the original main road from
Cowbridge
Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff.
The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council.
A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for ...
via
Pontyclun
Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village and community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Like the surrounding towns, it has seen a sharp increase in its population in the last ten years as people migrate south from the S ...
and therefore traffic is forced to use the new Bypass.
The decision was made by
Mid-Glamorgan
, Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council
, Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–)
, Start= 1974
, End= 1996
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
County Council in the early 1990s to dual the section of A4119 between Ynysmaerdy and Mwyndy. This would be the last major road project undertaken by Mid-Glamorgan before its abolishment in 1996.
The completed "Talbot Green to Ynysmaerdy Dual Carriageway" officially opened on 28 July 1995. The scheme replaced the old Roundabout near Llantrisant with a four way traffic-lit junction, and completely replaced the original Ely Valley Road at Talbot Green apart from the first portion: a t-junction from the centre Talbot Green's high street that leads to a row of houses and a Golf Club, this is the only remaining section Ely Valley Road that is un-altered, still bearing the original road surface and signage, although it is now a
Cul-de-sac.
A department store called
Homeworld
''Homeworld'' is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios on September 28, 1999, for Microsoft Windows. Set in space, the science fiction game follows the Kushan exiles of the planet K ...
opened in the 1980s prior to the construction of the new Dual Carriageway at Talbot Green until the store was closed in 1999 and demolished in 2000. This, alongside a
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
Store, marked the rush of new developments in the area, the original Tesco store which opened in the 1980s was closed and demolished in 2003, after it relocated to larger premises on the former Homeworld site. Talbot Green Shopping Park was built on the former Tesco site and opened in 2004.
At the next roundabout the road takes the shape of a bow passed the Ely Meadows which is now the site of Magden Park, a development of Offices, Hotel, Pub and private Health facility.
Bypassing the
Royal Glamorgan Hospital
The Royal Glamorgan Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg), is a District General Hospital in Ynysmaerdy, Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It is managed by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
History
The hospital wa ...
,
Avionics
Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...
department of
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...
and the Headquarters of the Welsh Blood Service.
On the south-bound carriageway is a long stretch of original road, although now a parking area where refreshment vans and sleepy truckers are a common sight, it provides access to some houses and a rural lane leading to Llantrisant.
The Road then comes to a roundabout with a turn-off for the Llantrisant Industrial Park, which is home to the
Royal Mint.
Another smaller roundabout at the village of Ynysmaerdy, where the new Headquarters of the
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is located,<ref> marks the end of the Dual Carriageway, the road becomes a single carriageway again at this point.
Ely and Rhondda Valleys
Past Ynysmaerdy the dual carriage way merged into a single lane to climb a hill, which is known locally as "Stink Pot Hill" because of the sewerage works that are on the side of the road. In August 2022, construction started on here to upgrade the section between the Ynymaerdy and Coedely roundabouts to the dual carriageway and is expected to be completed in August 2024.
At the next roundabout the road splits, this is where a bypass separates from the original course of the A4119. The old road through the village of
Coed-Ely
Coed-Ely or Coedely is a small village located to the south of Tonyrefail in south Wales and is located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The name ''Coed-Ely'' is a derivative of the Welsh words ''Coed-Elái'' which can be loosely transl ...
is to the right. The bypass, completed in 1987, takes the route of the old Ely Valley Railway, and the former site of the Coed-Ely Colliery is on the left. From here the road is still single carriageway with numerous rest areas. The road continues on another bypass past
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated at the head of the River Ely; northwest of Llantrisant, about from Trebanog and about from Williamstown. During the second half of the 19th ...
.
Shortly after Tonyrefail the road once again forks, with a junction for the A4233 which links with
Trebanog
Trebanog is a village in the Cymmer electoral ward lying on the southernmost outskirts of the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, located off the A4233 road between Porth and the town of Tonyrefail. Trebanog is an outlying district of the ...
and
Porth. The A4119 from here follows the floor of the Valley through woodland and past a small industrial estate with the Village of
Williamstown. At this roundabout, the A4119 meets momentarily with its original course before continuing along the old Railway line. The route then bypasses the village of
Penygraig
Penygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas, Edmondstown, Penrhiwfer and Williamstown. Penygraig is within ...
and south of
Tonypandy, where is progresses down a steep incline. There is a spur with
Clydach Vale before the road, still following an old railway line, progresses down to the floor of the valley where the A4119 ends with a roundabout of the A4058.
Originally the A4119 continued along Colliers Way and Llwynypia Road, where it again followed its original course, to a Terminus at
Llwynypia Hospital
Llwynypia Hospital ( cy, Ysbyty Llwynypia) was a health facility in Llwynypia, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was managed by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
History
The facility has its origins an old subsidiary workhouse which was c ...
with the
A4058, but following the completion of the Porth Relief Road, the roads were re-numbered. Therefore, Colliers Way and the Tonypandy North Bypass are now part of the A4058
Pontypridd
() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
to
Treorchy
Treorchy ( cy, Treorci; ) is a town and community (and electoral ward) in Wales. Once a mining town, it retains such characteristics. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of the 16 ...
route.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:4-4119
Roads in Cardiff
Roads in Rhondda Cynon Taf