The Rhondda by-pass, also known as the Porth and Lower Rhondda Fach Relief Road, is a relief road running through the

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coal mining, coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fa ...

, a valley in South Wales. It is built partly on the former

Maerdy Branch The Maerdy Branch was a railway branch line in South Wales. Financed and operated by the Taff Vale Railway, on amalgamation it became part of the Great Western Railway in 1923. Designed and mainly operated as a coal mining freight railway, its cr ...

of the Rhondda Line and a former branch line to Cymmer Colliery. The road runs from

Trehafod Trehafod is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley between Porth and Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, with a population of 698 in the 2011 census.(The earlier name ''Hafod'' was altered in 1905 to avoid confu ...

at the eastern edge of the Rhondda to

Pontygwaith Pontygwaith ( Welsh,"Bridge to work" or "Bridge of the Ironworks") is a village in the Taff Valley, south of Merthyr Tydfil in Wales. A Sussex Ironmaster named Anthony Morley set up a small ironworks here in 1583. On 21 February 1804 Richa ...

in the Rhondda Fach via Porth. The route includes the Rheola Bridge, which crosses near the point the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach divide. It opened in December 2006, and a plaque commemorating the road was unveiled by the

First Minister for Wales , insignia = First Minister of Wales logo.png , insigniasize = 120px , insigniacaption = Logo , flag = Flag of Wales.svg , flagsize = 120px , flagborder = yes , flagcaption = Flag of Wales , image = File:Mark Drakeford (cropped).jpg , ...

Rhodri Morgan Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a Welsh Labour politician who was the First Minister of Wales and the Leader of Welsh Labour from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011 and ...

, the following year. Local residents have complained about the noise on the road, as the imposing local geography of the Rhondda means it has to pass as close as to residential streets.

References

Rhondda Cynon Taf Roads in Wales {{Wales-road-stub