Development of Infrastructure in Talbot Green

The A4119 through Talbot Green was first built circa 1977 as a single carriageway passing to the side of the village straight on to Ely Valley Road, easing pressure off the original small lanes that lead from Talbot Green to the area known as Mwyndy, south of the village. The road here was built at the same time as an extension of the original Talbot – Cardiff road, leading to Junction 34 of the M4 Motorway, and creating better access to the lanes leading to the Vale of Glamorgan. At Mwyndy Cross, you can still see the original lane that the road used, signposted "Arthur Llewelyn Jenkins", the lane is accessible to the furniture store and as far as Cefn-y-Parc cemetery but is blocked at the bypass. There is a roundabout with the Talbot Green Bypass after passing Mwyndy Cross and the original roads – the A473 Pontypridd to Bridgend Road. This roundabout was added when the bypass was built in 1991 and was improved during mid 2016 to mid 2017 to add extra dedicated lanes and a traffic lighting system. Another roundabout, was located at the base of Llantrisant, where the A473 originally ran. When the bypass was built, it cut off the original main road from Cowbridge via Pontyclun and therefore traffic is forced to use the new Bypass.

The decision was made by Mid-Glamorgan County Council in the early 1990s to dual the section of A4119 between Ynysmaerdy and Mwyndy. This would be the last major road project undertaken by Mid-Glamorgan before its abolishment in 1996.

The Talbot Green to Ynysmaerdy dual carriageway

The completed "Talbot Green to Ynysmaerdy Dual Carriageway" officially opened on 28 July 1995. The scheme replaced the old Roundabout near Llantrisant with a four way traffic-lit junction, and completely replaced the original Ely Valley Road at Talbot Green apart from the first portion: a t-junction from the centre Talbot Green's high street that leads to a row of houses and a Golf Club, this is the only remaining section Ely Valley Road that is un-altered, still bearing the original road surface and signage, although it is now a Cul-de-sac. A department store called Homeworld opened in the 1980s prior to the construction of the new Dual Carriageway at Talbot Green until the store was closed in 1999 and demolished in 2000. This, alongside a Tesco Store, marked the rush of new developments in the area, the original Tesco store which opened in the 1980s was closed and demolished in 2003, after it relocated to larger premises on the former Homeworld site. Talbot Green Shopping Park was built on the former Tesco site and opened in 2004.

At the next roundabout the road takes the shape of a bow passed the Ely Meadows which is now the site of Magden Park, a development of Offices, Hotel, Pub and private Health facility.^[1] Bypassing the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, Avionics department of British Airways and the Headquarters of the Welsh Blood Service.

On the south-bound carriageway is a long stretch of original road, although now a parking area where refreshment vans and sleepy truckers are a common sight, it provides access to some houses and a rural lane leading to Llantrisant.

The Road then comes to a roundabout with a turn-off for the Llantrisant Industrial Park, which is home to the Royal Mint.

Another smaller roundabout at the village of Ynysmaerdy, where the new Headquarters of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is located,^[2] marks the end of the Dual Carriageway, the road becomes a single carriageway again at this point.