A4232 road

The A4232, which is also known either as the Peripheral Distributor Road (PDR) () or the Cardiff Link Road (), is a distributor road in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
The first section of the PDR to be completed was the Southern Way Link Road in 1978 and the last section was phase 1 of the Eastern Bay Link Road, known as Ewart Parkinson Road in 2017. When fully completed, the road will form part of the Cardiff ring road system. The PDR runs west, south and east of Cardiff, with the M4 between junction 30 and junction 33 completing the northern section. The PDR is dual carriageway for its entire length except for Rover Way and the East Moors Viaduct, which is a single carriageway. The entire length of the road has clearway restrictions on it.
The PDR has been constructed in separate link roads of between and around Cardiff and to date including spurs have been opened to traffic, with plans for a further . It has 5 large viaducts (Ely Viaduct, Grangetown Viaduct, Taff Viaduct, Eastern Bay Link Viaduct and the East Moors Viaduct), 1 tunnel (Queen's Gate Tunnel) and 2 spur roads (Cogan Spur and Central Link Road). The road has many grade separated interchanges.
History.
The road was conceived in the early 1970s, and planning by South Glamorgan County Council began in the late 1970s. At that stage the road was planned to be completed by 1995 and would relieve Ely, Grangetown, Butetown and East Moors of through traffic and provide a fast link to the national motorway network via the M4 and A48(M). The first section of the PDR to be completed was the Southern Way Link Road between Newport Road (A4161 road) and the Eastern Avenue (A48 road) in 1978 and the last section of the PDR, the Butetown Link Road, was opened to the public in 1995.
The former chairman of the South Glamorgan County Council environment committee, Councillor Paddy Kitson, called the road a "necklace of opportunity" due to its shape and also the opportunities for regeneration. By 1 April 1996 the responsibility for the road was transferred from South Glamorgan County Council to the unitary authority of Cardiff Council. Much of the funding for the road had been grant aided from the European Community and the UK Government on the basis that it would improve the economic viability of the area and bring in new jobs and industry. However, since the completion of the Butetown Link Road, funding for further developments have been at a standstill, and to date including spurs are open to traffic with plans for a further . The "missing link", the Eastern Bay Link Road, is still to be built.
Route description.
The PDR has 3 separate sections: the Capel Llanilltern Interchange (M4 J33) to Queen's Gate roundabout, the Lamby Way roundabout to the Llanedeyrn Interchange (A48) and the Pontprennau Interchange (A48) to the Pentwyn Interchange (M4 J30).
The section from the Capel Llanilltern Interchange on the M4 (junction 33) to the Queen's Gate roundabout is sometimes referred to as the Western Link Road (), is in length and includes the Capel Llanilltern – Culverhouse Cross Link Road, Ely Link Road, Grangetown Link Road and Butetown Link Road. For the majority of this section it is the boundary between the City of Cardiff to the east and the Vale of Glamorgan to the west.
Spur roads.
Cogan Spur (A4055).
The Cogan Spur, which is also known as the Cogan Link (), from the Ferry Road Interchange () to Barons Court Junction () on the A4160 was opened in 1988. It is only , but it is an important link to provide access to the PDR from Penarth and the southern part of the Vale of Glamorgan. It also bypasses Penarth Road (A4160) for traffic going in and out of Cardiff city centre.
The most recent development, which began at the end of 2006 and into 2007 was the widening of the road between the Cogan Viaduct and the Ferry Road Interchange to a 3-lane dual-carriageway. A new junction was also built for the Cardiff International Sports Village directly from Cogan Spur; also the Barons Court roundabout was replaced by a signal controlled crossroad. The main contractor for this project was Laing O'Rourke Civil Engineering.
The Cogan Viaduct () is the most important element of the Cogan Spur as it crosses the River Ely with a central span of 95 metres (312 ft). In total it has 6 spans; , , 60 m, 60m, 95 m and 60 m. It is made from a multi-span glued segmental structure of rectangular box sections. In all over 300 sections were used to construct the viaduct, each weighing from 43 to 117 tonnes. The Cogan Viaduct was again designed by South Glamorgan County Council, who won a Concrete Society Commendation in 1989 for the design.
Central Link Road (A4234).
The £8.5 million Central Link () between the Queen's Gate Roundabout () and the junction on Adam Street () on the A4160 was opened on 16 February 1989. When it was first opened it only linked Cardiff city centre with Cardiff Bay. It was not until the Butetown Link was opened on 27 March 1995 that this road started to be used as a link to the motorway network, Penarth and the Vale of Glamorgan. It will not be until the Eastern Bay Link is built, when traffic from the city centre will use it to travel east, that it will be fully used. The length of the A4234 is just and is entirely a two lane dual carriageway with clearway restrictions.
Abandoned spur roads.
Ely Spur.
The Ely Spur was planned to run from a new interchange on the Ely Link Road to the Ely Bridge Roundabout on the A48. It was only in length, but it would have reduced through traffic in the residential area of Ely, namely on Cowbridge Road West traveling to and from the A48. But it has now been announced that this proposal has now been officially abandoned.
Cardiff Airport Link Road.
The Cardiff Airport Link Road () was a proposed spur road off of the A4232 through to Cardiff Airport, when plans for the road were scrapped by the WAG in June 2009. The single carriageway A4050 road, from Cardiff to Cardiff Airport is currently the main road from Barry to Cardiff and is the main commuter route. There were 4 proposed schemes linking the Ely Link Road, south of the Culverhouse Cross Interchange, through to the A4226 north of Barry. The estimated cost of this scheme would have been £96m, including the widening of the A4232.
Services.
The PDR has two service stations for motorists, one at Cardiff West on the Capel Llanilltern Interchange and the other at Cardiff Gate on the Pentwyn Interchange. The services at Cardiff West includes BP petrol, a Travelodge, Burger King, Costa Coffee and W H Smith, while the services at Cardiff Gate includes Shell petrol, a Hotel Ibis, Burger King, KFC, Starbucks, Waitrose and W H Smith. 
Traffic Wales is the Welsh Government's traffic information service, it is a partnership between the Welsh Government, the two Trunk Road Agents (South Wales TRA / North & Mid Wales TRA) and the WTTC consultancy Amey. In South Wales the service is managed from the South Wales Traffic Management Centre, also home to INRIX Media's studio, providing live travel information for the media. The Traffic Wales website has five live traffic webcams on the Capel Llanilltern – Culverhouse Cross Link Road (Trunk Road) and the images are updated every 5 minutes. Traffic Wales also operates a Traffic Information Hotline, motorists can use this telephone service by dialling an 0845 number, which gives up to date traffic information and travel advice.
Traffic congestion.
Since the western link roads were built, a number of major developments have been built, such as the Cardiff Bay Retail Park, IKEA, Celtic Gateway, Cardiff International Sports Village that includes the Cardiff International Pool, Cardiff International White Water and Cardiff Arena, which have all generated additional traffic at the Ferry Road Interchange. In addition, the Leckwith development, which includes Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff International Sports Stadium and the Capital Retail Park with a new Asda supermarket, have also significantly increased traffic on the Leckwith Interchange. At the Culverhouse Cross Interchange, older developments such as the Brooklands Retail Park, Wenvoe Retail Park and Valegate Retail Park, including Tesco and Marks & Spencer have also significantly increased congestion along with commuter traffic from the Vale of Glamorgan. From 1989 to 1997 there had been an increase in traffic of 78% and a further increase of 35% by 2016 is predicted by the Assembly. The Vale of Glamorgan Council also expressed reservations about the new developments of the Cardiff International Sports Village and the Cardiff City Stadium, which includes the Capital Retail Park. On 18 October 2006, the council requested that the WAG assess the existing traffic conditions and future growth in traffic on the network.
Popular culture.
The Queen's Gate Tunnel was featured in the first ever episode of "Torchwood", called "Everything Changes" and was first broadcast by BBC Three on 22 October 2006. The Grangetown Link was featured in the 2006 Christmas episode of "Doctor Who" called "The Runaway Bride", which was first broadcast by BBC One on 25 December 2006.
External links.
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