Delays expected as council carries out roadworks.

Byline: Ruth Mosalski Local government reporter [email protected]

ROAD closures will begin tonight in Cardiff in the latest of a series of council road improvements.

Newport Road, one of the main routes into the city, will be partially closed from 6.30pm at the junction with City Road.

Although the council has deferred works at Gabalfa and in Clare Road to ease any potential problems, there are expected to be delays for people coming into or leaving the city because of rail works.

Rail replacement services will be put on between Cardiff Central and Barry, Penarth and Bridgend from tomorrow.

There will be no City Line services between Coryton and Radyr as well as reduced frequency on other services on the Valley lines network.

Measures have been introduced to ease problems seen over Easter in Barry Island. But Vale of Glamorgan council says traffic management officers will not be deployed every weekend but instead judged on a "case by case basis depending on the predicted level of traffic".

They say officers will be made available at short notice should high levels of congestion occur.

Cardiff council says there are five alternative routes that drivers can use to avoid the closed section of Newport Road, which is due to reopen on Monday morning.

The first is the Cardiff East park and ride service at junction 29. The park and ride service runs from 8am until 7pm on Saturday and 10am to 5.30pm on Sunday.

They also advise drivers to stay on the M4 and exit at junction 32 to avoid Newport Road, or use the A48 towards Gabalfa or Albany Road in Roath. There is also a fifth suggested route, of Rover Way.

The weekend is set to be busy in the city as an estimated 20,000 visitors come for the RHS Flower Show, Cardiff City play at home, as do Glamorgan Cricket.