Menai Suspension Bridge: Further repairs begin amid calls for third crossing
The repairs to the Menai Suspension Bridge are expected to be completed by August 2025, in time for its 200th anniversary. But there are calls for a third crossing to be introduced.
Monday 4 September 2023 14:37, UK
Further works have begun on a bridge in North Wales amid calls for a third crossing.
The second phase of maintenance on the Menai Suspension Bridge, the original crossing between Anglesey and the mainland, will begin on Monday to ensure its permanent restoration.
The repairs to the bridge in North Wales, which was opened in 1826, are expected to be completed by August 2025, in time for its 200th anniversary.
Anglesey and Gwynedd are currently connected by two crossings - the Menai Suspension Bridge and Britannia Bridge.
But for a number of years, there have been calls for a third crossing to be introduced to connect the counties.
Anglesey Council leader Llinos Medi said a third crossing over the Menai Strait was "critical to our island's resilience and future economic growth".
The Welsh government confirmed in February that the scheme would not be going ahead as part of a wider review of road building projects in Wales.
"It is so much more than just a road scheme," Cllr Medi said.
"There was naturally great disappointment at the outcome of the recent roads review as it failed to acknowledge the island's unique circumstances and problems caused by the existing crossings."
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The Welsh Conservatives' shadow transport minister, Natasha Asghar, has called on the Welsh government to "reassess" its roads scheme.
"With the public calling for a much needed third Menai crossing falling on deaf ears, at least repair work can finally go ahead after months of uncertainty for the people of Anglesey," she said.
A Welsh government spokesperson said it had "not banned road building in Wales" and was instead investing in "more sustainable transport".
They added: "The North Wales Transport Commission is considering options for improving connections to and from Ynys Môn.
"Final recommendations are yet to be made, but the interim report sets out an approach to make the current infrastructure and bridges work better."
In October last year the Menai Suspension Bridge was closed to all traffic after engineers identified a structural concern.
While the bridge will remain partially open during the new phase of repairs, motorists are urged to plan ahead as traffic management measures will be in place.