In May 2025, 23 years of continuous roadworks came to an end as the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, which links Swansea to Monmouthshire, fully re-opened.

The £2 billion scheme, which began in 2002, aimed to bring prosperity to one of the UK’s most deprived areas and cut journey times between west Wales and the Midlands, as well as relieving pressure on the M4, by upgrading the single carriageway road to a full dual carriageway.

The final phase (sections five and six) of the project – one of the UK’s biggest road upgrade projects in recent history – began in mid-2021 and covered the 17-kilometre stretch of road linking Dowlais Top, Merthyr Tydfil and Hirwaun.

Working with main contractor FCC Construcción, Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation (Polypipe CGU) proudly supplied a range of products – including drainage, ducting and duct chambers – for the final two sections of the scheme.

James Haddon, Regional Sales Director – South at Polypipe CGU, said: “We’ve worked extremely closely with the team at FCC over the course of this project, very much turning our relationship from simply transactional to truly collaborative.

“We were chosen to supply the materials for this project because of our reputation as a trusted brand known for our experience and expertise in helping to deliver infrastructure projects across the whole of the UK. We could keep up with the delivery schedule and deliver everything on time, in full, and functioned almost as an extension of their team, having set up a working group to ensure consistent communication with all parties – from internal planning and transport teams to the merchant and contractors.”

Throughout the section five and six construction period, 28,998 metres of Ridgidrain were supplied for surface and sub-surface water management on the road.

“Ridgidrain was the first twinwall surface drainage system in the UK to receive Highways Authority Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) status and, with its high strength-to-weight ratio and flexibility to resist heavy traffic loadings, it was perfect for this project,” James said.

“It’s also manufactured from up to 100% recycled material, making it an ideal choice, especially because sustainability plays such a central role in infrastructure development now, but the benefits span much further. Ridgidrain pipes are 94% lighter than traditional concrete alternatives which significantly reduces transport and installation costs, all while enhancing health and safety on site – something that’s consistently proven to be of utmost importance on projects of this scale.”

Alongside Ridgidrain, the Polypipe CGU team supplied 86,454 metres of Ridgiduct, which carries telecoms cables, power cables and data cables from gantry to gantry along the side of the highway.

SubTerra duct access boxes were also supplied to be used in conjunction with the Ridgiduct. These boxes act as the access point for pulling and maintaining cables or working on the network.

“We’re proud to play our part in tackling climate change for our customers and have a full suite of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for our range of products,” James said, “We also hold the PAS 2080 certification for carbon management in buildings and infrastructure, demonstrating our commitment to truly making a difference – not only in our industry but for the planet more generally.”

“During my career, I’ve dealt with Polypipe for going on 15-years,” Jonathan Roberts, Buyer at FCC Construcción, said, “having worked with them before, I knew the extent of the technical support available to us, and the service provided to us by way of confirmation of deliveries and the planning of deliveries worked out really well.

“Polypipe are great at a number of things across the whole group. On this particular project, they’ve been really good at helping us out, and it has been excellent service. I’d definitely recommend Polypipe for future projects.”

The A465 Heads of the Valleys road fully re-opened on 30^th May 2025 as a 70-mph dual carriageway with six junctions, compared to its previous existence as a three-lane single carriageway.

Find out more about how Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation are supporting the development of sustainable infrastructure: www.polypipecivils.com