UK Roads: Cardiff Outer Ring Road

Just to add to Jon Waters's observations regarding the Cardiff Outer Bypass: The dual carriageway incomplete ring is not a complete dual carriageway road either. Where the A4232 Peripheral Distributor Road leaves the A48 (Eastern Avenue) in southeast Cardiff it becomes single carriageway between the Newport Road limited interchange (there being no slip roads to or from the south) and Rover Way.

However, if you continue along Rover Way along the sea shore past the Allied Steel and Wire complex you will arrive at the entrance to the heliport and docks at an at grade small roundabout. If you turn northwards here (there is no choice as you cannot go through the docks unless on business) you will arrive within 100m upon a huge raised roundabout constructed ready to be part of the 'missing link' to which reference has been made. This should be the grade separated junction with Ocean Way. I believe the 'missing link' is so because of difficulties gaining access through the Associated British Port's land and the industrial land to the east.

Of more interest is that once you pass through Butetown to rejoin the A4232 and go through the tunnel and then up and over Cardiff Bay (it is worth a look) if you continue along the A4232 (or take the A4055 to Penarth) the views over the Bristol Channel, Penarth and Cardiff are impressive on a fine day. However, the main point from an engineering view is that the viaducts over which the A4232 were constructed (with the exception of the Cardiff Bay viaduct - unless someone knows otherwise) by a glued segmental method. Basically these are huge sections of pre-cast tooth shaped concrete stuck together with araldite. This is reason why the first section of the A4232 is single carriageway because it was the very first viaduct of such a length in the UK constructed in this manner (perhaps they weren't that confident!). If any of your visitors to your web page are interested in bridges they're worth a look. The total length of the glued segmental construction is about 3km (not including Cardiff Bay bridge). The longest section between Llandough river bridge (the B4267 junction) and the junction with the A4055, is best seen from Penarth Road (the A4160). You can see the A4055 from there as well but the A4055 is more impressive for being driven over.

Just thought I'd pass it on.

Philip Lord, Essex County Council, 1^st July 04