Trunk roads in Wales ( cy, cefnffyrdd yng Nghymru) were created in the Trunk Roads Act of 1936 when the UK

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

took direct control over 30 of the principal roads in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

from

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and

Scottish local authorities Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the majori ...

. The number of trunk roads was increased from 30 to 101 in the Trunk Roads Act of 1946. These roads formed what the Act called "the national system of routes for through traffic". Since

Welsh devolution Welsh devolution (Welsh: ''Datganoli i Gymru'') is the transfer of legislative power for self-governance to Wales by the Government of the United Kingdom. Wales was conquered by England during the 13th century; the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan caused ...

the trunk road system in Wales has been managed by the

South Wales Trunk Road Agent The South Wales Trunk Road Agent (SWTRA; cy, Asiant Cefnffyrdd De Cymru) is one of the two trunk road agents in Wales. It is responsible for managing motorways and trunk roads in South Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government. Established on 1 A ...

and the

North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent The North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA; cy, Asiant Cefnffyrdd Gogledd a Chanolbarth Cymru) is one of the two trunk road agents in Wales. It is responsible for managing trunk roads in North and Mid Wales on behalf of the Welsh Governme ...

on behalf of the

Welsh Government , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...

. As of April 2019, out of a total of of roads in Wales, are trunk roads (including of

motorways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

and as of 2015 of dual carriageway). Historically, trunk roads have been listed on maps with a "(T)" after their number, to distinguish them from non-trunk parts of the same road. However, this suffix is no longer included on current

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

maps. The North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent still use it to distinguish the trunk road from a non-trunk road. When a trunk road had been improved by a motorway, bypass or a similar route, it may be de-trunked. When a road is de-trunked, signposts are often replaced, and sometimes route numbers are changed, making the original road harder to follow. The

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

–

Fishguard Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two p ...

Trunk Road in 1936 only included the A48 and the A40. With road improvements, most notably the M4 motorway, much of both the A48 and the A40 has been de-trunked

Under UK Parliamentary control

The 1936 Act came into force in Wales on 1 April 1937 and created 30 trunk roads in Great Britain, with 5 roads either completely or partially within Wales. The Act excluded roads in the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The 1946 Act came into force in Wales on 1 April 1946 and produced a further 71 with 11 either completely or partially within Wales. This Act included roads within the County of London, but still excluded the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

. A review of roads was carried out in 1997–98 by the

Welsh Office The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...

which was part of the

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

. It reviewed the existing trunk road network and identified routes that were of national strategic importance. The factors for deciding which routes should be retained in the core (trunk) network included: *Providing links between main centres of population, industry, tourist areas and important communities. *Promoting safe, secure, predictable, and rapid movement of people and goods throughout Wales. *Providing access to major seaports, airports, rail and bus terminals. *Providing cross-border links to the English network *Being part of the UK Trans-European road network. These factors were published in the Government's

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...

"A New Deal for Transport" in July 1998.

Under Welsh Parliamentary control

The

National Assembly for Wales The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Go ...

took responsibility for devolved powers on 1 July 1999, as part of this process, transport was transferred from the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

to the

and with it responsibility for the trunk road network, including motorways. Responsibility for the management of highways in Wales is split between the Welsh Government and local highway agencies. The Welsh Government is responsible for trunk roads and motorways, whilst the 22 local authorities are responsible for all other highways. In 2001 the

reviewed the way in which trunk roads and motorways were being managed, and by September 2004, they had decided to reduce the number of trunk road agencies from eight down to three. The three new agencies were: *The South Wales Trunk Road Agency (SWTRA), later renamed the

*The Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency (MWTRA) *The North Wales Trunk Road Agency (NWTRA). The three new Trunk Road Agencies started on 1 April 2006. Six years later on 1 April 2012 these were again reduced further down to two: *The South Wales Trunk Road Agent, who manage 16 trunk roads or parts of roads (both A roads and motorways) *The

(NMWTRA), who manage 11 trunk roads or parts of roads (all A roads).

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council is the local authority for the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, one of the 22 principal areas of Wales. The council was controlled by the Labour Party from its creation in 1996 until 2022, when Plaid ...

and

Gwynedd Council Cyngor Gwynedd ( en, Gwynedd Council) is the governing body for the county of Gwynedd, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council administrates internally using the Welsh language. History The county of Gwynedd was created in 1974 under ...

manage and maintain the trunk road network on behalf of the Transport and Strategic Regeneration division of the

for SWTRA and NMWTRA respectively. In March 2002, the Welsh Government developed their Trunk Road Forward Programme. The programme listed plans for major improvements and new road schemes. Following the 2004 review of the Welsh Government's transport policy in 2004, they updated the list for major improvements and new road schemes. In December 2008 the Trunk Road Forward Programme was again updated due to the pledges made in the

One Wales One Wales ( cy, Cymru'n Un, ) was the coalition agreement for the National Assembly for Wales between Labour and Plaid Cymru agreed to by Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, and Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of Plai ...

Labour Party (UK), the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru. As of April 2019, out of a total of of roads in Wales, are trunk roads (including of motorways and as of 2015 of dual carriageway).

Present-day trunk roads

References

External links

Trunk Road Forward Programme March 2002Trunk Road Forward Programme 2004 SupplementTrunk Road Forward Programme November 2009
{{Navboxes , title = Transport in Wales by local authority , list = {{Transport in Bridgend county borough {{Transport in Caerphilly County Borough {{Transport in Cardiff {{Transport in Carmarthenshire {{Transport in Gwynedd {{Transport in Monmouthshire {{Transport in Neath Port Talbot {{Transport in Newport {{Transport in Pembrokeshire {{Transport in Powys {{Transport in Rhondda Cynon Taf {{Transport in Swansea {{Transport in Torfaen Road transport in Wales Roads in Wales

Under UK Parliamentary control

Under Welsh Parliamentary control

Present-day trunk roads

See also

References

External links