A487 road

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The A487 is a major road in Wales, running up the west coast.

It starts in Haverfordwest, from where it travels north west to St David's, then switches back north east through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Corris.

The section of road in the Dulas valley between the Afon Dyfi near Machynlleth and Corris was built in the 1840s at the instigation of the local slate quarry owners to replace the old turnpike road on the opposite side of the valley. It may have utilised part of the formation of the Roman Sarn Helen. From 1859 the road was kept company on this section by the narrow-gauge Corris Railway.

The road continues to Dolgellau multiplexing with the A470 north of Cross Foxes, a pub closed in 2006. The site of Dolgellau railway station along with approximately a mile and a half of trackbed of the former Great Western Railway line from Ruabon to Barmouth was used to construct the Dolgellau bypass in the late 1970s.

After Dolgellau, the road continues to multiplex with the A470 road, re-emerging just north of Trawsfynydd then passing through Penrhyndeudraeth and Porthmadog.

Between Penrhyndeudraeth and Porthmadog, the road passes over a mile-long Cob. Until 2003, drivers had to pay a charge to cross The Cob.

The section between Porthmadog and Llanwnda has been improved. The new section bypasses Llanllyfni and Penygroes, in parts utilizing the old trackbed of the Caernarfon to Afon Wen railway line. In April 2007, the 10 mile new section had to be resurfaced in its entirety after it became apparent that the wrong type of stone had been used for the surface tarmac.

A bypass was opened in 1994 avoiding Y Felinheli on the section between Caernarfon and Bangor.

The road terminates at the foot of the Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor.

It is propsed to bypass Porthmadog in 2009 and Caernarfon, from the northern end of the Pen-y-groes bypass to the western end of the Y Felinheli bypass thereafter.

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