Trunk roads in Wales ( cy, cefnffyrdd yng Nghymru) were created in the Trunk Roads Act of 1936 when the UK

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government age ...

took direct control over 30 of the principal roads in

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from

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Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and Scottish local authorities. The number of trunk roads was increased from 30 to 101 in the Trunk Roads Act of 1946. These roads formed what the Act called "the national system of routes for through traffic". Since Welsh devolution the trunk road system in Wales has been managed by the South Wales Trunk Road Agent and the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent on behalf of the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

. As of April 2019, out of a total of of roads in Wales, are trunk roads (including of

motorways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

and as of 2015 of

dual carriageway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

). Historically, trunk roads have been listed on maps with a "(T)" after their number, to distinguish them from non-trunk parts of the same road. However, this suffix is no longer included on current

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maps. The North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent still use it to distinguish the trunk road from a non-trunk road. When a trunk road had been improved by a motorway, bypass or a similar route, it may be de-trunked. When a road is de-trunked, signposts are often replaced, and sometimes route numbers are changed, making the original road harder to follow. The

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– Fishguard Trunk Road in 1936 only included the A48 and the A40. With road improvements, most notably the

M4 motorway The M4, originally the London-South Wales Motorway, is a motorway in the United Kingdom running from west London to southwest Wales. The English section to the Severn Bridge was constructed between 1961 and 1971; the Welsh element was largely ...

, much of both the A48 and the A40 has been de-trunked

Under UK Parliamentary control

The 1936 Act came into force in Wales on 1 April 1937 and created 30 trunk roads in Great Britain, with 5 roads either completely or partially within Wales. The Act excluded roads in the

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and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The 1946 Act came into force in Wales on 1 April 1946 and produced a further 71 with 11 either completely or partially within Wales. This Act included roads within the County of London, but still excluded the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. A review of roads was carried out in 1997–98 by the Welsh Office which was part of the

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. It reviewed the existing trunk road network and identified routes that were of national strategic importance. The factors for deciding which routes should be retained in the core (trunk) network included: *Providing links between main centres of population, industry, tourist areas and important communities. *Promoting safe, secure, predictable, and rapid movement of people and goods throughout Wales. *Providing access to major seaports, airports, rail and bus terminals. *Providing cross-border links to the English network *Being part of the UK Trans-European road network. These factors were published in the Government's

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...

"A New Deal for Transport" in July 1998.

Under Welsh Parliamentary control

The

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English language, English and () in Welsh language, Welsh, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes ...

took responsibility for devolved powers on 1 July 1999, as part of this process, transport was transferred from the

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to the

and with it responsibility for the trunk road network, including motorways. Responsibility for the management of highways in Wales is split between the Welsh Government and local highway agencies. The Welsh Government is responsible for trunk roads and motorways, whilst the 22 local authorities are responsible for all other highways. In 2001 the

reviewed the way in which trunk roads and motorways were being managed, and by September 2004, they had decided to reduce the number of trunk road agencies from eight down to three. The three new agencies were: *The South Wales Trunk Road Agency (SWTRA), later renamed the South Wales Trunk Road Agent *The Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (MWTRA) *The North Wales Trunk Road Agency (NWTRA). The three new Trunk Road Agencies started on 1 April 2006. Six years later on 1 April 2012 these were again reduced further down to two: *The South Wales Trunk Road Agent, who manage 16 trunk roads or parts of roads (both A roads and motorways) *The North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA), who manage 11 trunk roads or parts of roads (all A roads). Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Gwynedd Council manage and maintain the trunk road network on behalf of the Transport and Strategic Regeneration division of the

for SWTRA and NMWTRA respectively. In March 2002, the Welsh Government developed their Trunk Road Forward Programme. The programme listed plans for major improvements and new road schemes. Following the 2004 review of the Welsh Government's transport policy in 2004, they updated the list for major improvements and new road schemes. In December 2008 the Trunk Road Forward Programme was again updated due to the pledges made in the

One Wales One Wales ( cy, Cymru'n Un, ) was the coalition agreement for the National Assembly for Wales between Labour and Plaid Cymru agreed to by Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, and Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of Plai ...

the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru. As of April 2019, out of a total of of roads in Wales, are trunk roads (including of motorways and as of 2015 of dual carriageway).

Present-day trunk roads

References

External links

Trunk Road Forward Programme March 2002Trunk Road Forward Programme 2004 SupplementTrunk Road Forward Programme November 2009
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by local authority , list = {{Transport in Bridgend county borough {{Transport in Caerphilly County Borough {{Transport in Cardiff {{Transport in Carmarthenshire {{Transport in Gwynedd {{Transport in Monmouthshire {{Transport in Neath Port Talbot {{Transport in Newport {{Transport in Pembrokeshire {{Transport in Powys {{Transport in Rhondda Cynon Taf {{Transport in Swansea {{Transport in Torfaen Road transport in Wales Roads in Wales

Under UK Parliamentary control

Under Welsh Parliamentary control

Present-day trunk roads

See also

References

External links