Merthyr Tydfil, Trevithick Trail to town centre link
An iconic new bridge will be the centrepiece of the Merthyr Tydfil scheme and will complete a continuous, traffic-free route along the Trevithick Trail, rich in industrial heritage. Named after the British engineer Richard Trevithick, the new bridge will form part of the historical Trevithick Trail, commemorating the first journey by a steam locomotive pulling a load on rails. Together with a new path, this walking and cycling route will help connect communities and create a traffic free link from the residential areas of Pentrebach and beyond to local supermarkets and workplaces as well as to the centre of Merthyr Tydfil. It will also link into the Taff trail.
Reviving the route of the world's first steam engine to run successfully on rails, the Trevithick Trail has recently been restored to create a section of the walking and cycling path. The trail, follows the line of the historic tramway, but is cut in two by heavy, fast moving traffic on the A4060 Mountain Hare Road in Pentrebach. The proposed Trevithick Bridge will cross over this busy A4060 dual carriageway.
The bridge design will also incorporate a large wheel which represents a cog wheel that would have been connected to the driving wheels on the Pen Y Darren Locomotive, showing that the design has been intended to represent Trevithick's steam locomotive.
Merthyr Tydfil Portrait Bench
The Portrait Bench is a simple bench with three life-size effigies of local heroes, chosen by the local community to represent their culture and history. The bench is part of a series of benches commissioned by Sustrans, creating a major new collection of public art across the UK.
Merthyr‘s characters are: Julien Macdonald, Laura Ashley and Richard Trevithick.
Find out more about the Sustrans Portrait Bench public art collection.
Find the bench location with our online mapping.
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