The magazine of the photo-essay
December 2016 issue
by Nick St Oegger
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
The Port Talbot bypass was Wales’ first motorway, and the first link in what became the modern day M4. Hailed as a
major engineering achievement upon its opening in 1966, it also required the demolition of large swaths of the town,
and the displacement of hundreds of people from their homes and businesses. While considered a sign of progress,
the shortsightedness of its design features and placement through the town have begun to show through the following
decades. The motorway's expansion coincided with a decline in the steel industry, slowly emptying out the nearby Port
Talbot Steelworks, which had been at the center of the town's success. Today, the presence of the motorway and
uncertain future for the nearby Tata Steelworks weighs heavily on the residents of Port Talbot. Their town has become a
place most people only see while driving by, on to more glamorous destinations. Bypassed is a multimedia exploration
of the lasting effects of the motorway on the physical and psychological landscape of Port Talbot.
The full project can be viewed here
The M4 motorway passing through Port Talbot, Wales.
Llewellyn Street, Port Talbot.
John.
Support Pillars under the M4.
Tommie.
Pont Street, Port Talbot.
Near the River Afan.
Josh.
King Street, Port Talbot.
Breakfast near the M4.
Anthony.
Inkerman Row, Taibach.
The M4 and Tata Steelworks.
James.
Footpath under the M4.
