Road closed in both directions after collapse as drivers face 70-mile diversion

10 November 2023 , 16:09

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Part of a major road in Wales has been closed due to its partial collapse (Image: Traffic Wales North & Mid / X)

A main road in Wales has been shut down after its edge and a retaining wall collapsed into the river.

The A470, which connects north and south Wales, was closed on Thursday afternoon, November 9, between Carno and Dolfach in Powys. Traffic Wales North and Mid announced on X, previously known as Twitter, that the road was closed straight away for safety reasons.

They set up a diversion that is over 70 miles long, meaning some drivers could be travelling for more than an hour to get back on the A470. In their post, Traffic Wales said: "We've had a retaining wall on the A470 collapse. As a safety measure, the A470 will be closed immediately (north) west of Talerddig, between Carno and Dolfach until further notice. Local diversions in place. We will provide more updates in due course."

A 70-mile diversion is now in place (Google Maps)

The diversion route goes from Powys to Ceredigion before heading back to Powys. This means drivers going from north to south Wales will have to travel from Llanbrynmair via Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, which is around 50 minutes away.

The detour then leads back to the A470 in Llangurig, which would take about 43 minutes from Aberystwyth. Normally, the journey between Dolfach near Llanbrynmair and Carno near Caersws takes around 10 minutes.

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Traffic monitoring service, Inrix, has also noted the closure. In an update, it says: "A470 in both directions closed, slow traffic due to emergency repairs from Talerddig to Dolfach. Road has been closed to repair damage from landslide, affecting traffic between Caersws and Llanbrynmair."

Six pupils at Ysgol Bro Hyddgen, in Machynlleth, were unable to attend school on Friday following the closure, according to the school. The BBC reported that the announcement sparked an angry reaction from motorists online who said the wall has needed repair work for years. They also complained the diversion was too long.

According to local county councillor Elwyn Vaughan, the closure is set to be in force until at least next week. The councillor said: "It will continue to be closed to enable emergency work to be done in the coming days with the aim of reopening with the lights.

"It will therefore be closed until the middle of next week. I've asked Senedd Members Russell George and Cefin Campbell AS/MS to lobby for funding to have a long-term resolution."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Branwen Jones