A470 road (Great Britain)
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The A470 dual carriageway at Pontypridd.
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency and South Wales Trunk Road Agency | |
| Length: | 186 mi (299 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| From: | Cardiff |
 A4119 road A4160 road A48 road A469 road     ![]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Motorway_Right.svg/5px-Motorway_Right.svg.png "]"){kind=small} M4 motorway A4054 road A468 road A4058 road A4223 road A4059 road A472 road A4060 road A4102 road A465 road A4215 road A40 road A479 road A483 road A4081 road A44 road A489 road A458 road A487 road A494 road A5 road A55 road A547 road
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| To: | Llandudno |
| Location | |
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Primary destinations: |
Merthyr Tydfil Brecon Builth Wells Rhayader Llangurig Dolgellau Blaenau Ffestiniog Betws-y-Coed |
| Road network | |
The A470, also known as the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road, is the major long-distance road in Wales, from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It is 186 miles (299 km) long, and has undergone considerable road improvement in the last two decades. While previously one had to navigate the narrow roads of Llanidloes and Dolgellau, both these market towns are now bypassed due to extensive road modernisation.
The road travels through two of Wales's national parks, the Brecon Beacons in the south and Snowdonia National Park, starting just south of Dinas Mawddwy in the north. It is a primary trunk route throughout its length, and the southernmost 26 miles (42 km), from Cardiff Bay to Merthyr Tydfil, is mainly direct and good quality dual carriageway, but most of the route from north of Merthyr to Llandudno is single carriageway which has seen considerable improvement in the last 20–30 years.
The southernmost point of the route is at The Flourish, Cardiff Bay, outside the Wales Millennium Centre. It runs up Lloyd George Avenue (this was previously Collingdon Road, and the A470 previously ran along the parallel Bute Street), and continues along St. Mary Street in central Cardiff. The road then becomes North Road, and after a tidal flow system running to Maindy and then goes over the flyover at the Gabalfa interchange of the A48 and the A469. It becomes an urban dual-carriageway along Manor Way, with a 40 mph (64 km/h) speed limit and with many traffic-signalled crossings. It passes without interruption under the M4 at the giant Coryton roundabout. For the next 15 miles (24 km) it is a modern high-speed dual carriageway by-passing Tongwynlais and Castell Coch, Taff's Well, to Pontypridd. Heading north to Abercynon, the road now follows the route of the Taff Vale Railways Llancaiach Branch to Quakers Yard roundabout, where it is joined by the A4059 from Abercynon, Aberdare and Hirwaun ; the A472 from Ystrad Mynach and Pontypool finally the A4054 from Quakers Yard, and Merthyr Tydfil.
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