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Heads of the Valleys Road: Dual carriageway officially opens after 23 years of upgrades
A South Wales road has officially been opened, 23 years after roadworks first began.
The A465 Heads of the Valleys Road has been described by the Welsh government as one of the UK's "most technically challenging" road projects, in an upgrade programme costing £2bn. The final phase of the dual carriageway to be completed was sections 5 and 6, from Dowlais to Hirwaun.
The Welsh government says the final phase of the project has created 2,200 new jobs across the country. Transport secretary Ken Skates said that delivering "better transport" was a "priority".
He said the project was "complex" and admitted that it had "not been without its challenges". Skates also acknowledged a project on this scale was "inevitably going to have an impact on local residents" and thanked them for their patience.
When it was confirmed in January that the Heads of the Valleys Road would be completed this year, Damien Pearce, owner of Valley Carpets in Pant Industrial Estate, told Sky News road closures had "impacted [the business] massively". But he said the shop was now "more visible" and that the completed road would "definitely" benefit the local area.
Read more from Sky News:What we know so far about passenger plane crashMoments before Air India plane crash Sam Rowlands, the Welsh government's shadow transport secretary, said there would be "a huge measure of relief" for "long-suffering residents and businesses". "The project has taken far too long, cost far too much, and it's clear that important lessons need to be learned," he added.
But finance secretary and former first minister Mark Drakeford said investing in the project had "created real benefits for local people.
Amir Nisi
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