Eastern Bay Link Road Open In Time For Champions League Final

THE £57m Eastern Bay Link Road is set to open in time for the Champions League Final in June when more than 170,000 fans are expected to descend on Cardiff. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The opening of the Link Road will help ease the flow of traffic in the city as thousands of fans arrive in the capital on June 3 for the biggest sporting event in the world this year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Work on the Welsh Government scheme is nearing completion and will see the link road extend from the Butetown tunnels to the Ocean Way roundabout and reduce a 3.5km journey to 1km. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The link road will be open to buses and coaches for the duration of the Champions League final weekend in June and will then be open to all vehicles shortly after the event. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

City of Cardiff Council Leader Cllr Phil Bale, who visited the Link Road to see its progress on Thursday, March 23, said: “I am delighted that the Eastern Bay Link Road will be open to coaches and buses in time for the Champions League Final in June. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“With many thousands of football fans heading to Cardiff by coach for the game, the new link road will play a major part in helping to ease the flow of traffic around the city during what is sure to be one of the greatest sporting events the capital has ever hosted.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Eastern Bay Link Road in numbers ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

• Cost of project – £57m
• Concrete poured – 13,500m3 (structural concrete)
• Steel tonnage – 2200 tonnes
• Local businesses used – 66% of contract spend has been on Welsh companies and 63% of that on SMEs
• Jobs created – 29 taken from unemployment
• Communities helped – Community Projects completed in Splott and Tremorfa – Splott Community Hub,
• Moorland House (both in partnership with The Princes Trust) and Willows High School
• People employed – 1300 people inducted to date
• Apprentice training – 315 weeks to date
• Total training hours – 1102 weeks
• Targeted Recruitment & Training (TR&T) – scheme target of 1768 Weeks – Currently achieved 89% (1633 weeks) at end of January
• Time savings in travel – 3.5km journey reduced to 1km creating a time saving up to 15 minutes in travel time at peak times
• Length of bridge – 660m
• Active Travel Route created – 1.5km footpath / cycleway link – Queensgate Roundabout to Coastal Path on Rover Way (300m beyond eastern extent of scheme)