The Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn Rhun ap Iorwerth says “it feels as though we’ve been mislead” and the prolonged repair programme on Menai Suspension Bridge “will prolong the impact on local residents and businesses.”
The Welsh Government and UK Highways A55 Ltd announced an extension to the programme of works to repair the Menai Suspension Bridge between Ynys Môn and the mainland. The programme, which had an original end date of August 2025, will now not be complete until December 2025, the Welsh Government has confirmed on their website.
The programme commenced in September 2023 following the bridge’s closure for four months in October 2022 after serious safety concerns were identified during a technical analysis. The programme was scheduled to last two years, but this recent development means that the project will now take at least 27 months to complete.
It’s also been confirmed that when the works programme does resume in March, traffic management will be on the bridge at all times, including weekends. Up to this point, traffic management has only been in place during weekdays.
Recently, it was announced that the bridge would reopen over the upcoming winter period, following the completion of the replacement of hangers on the bridge, and that all traffic management and weight restrictions would be lifted. However, it wasn’t confirmed at the time whether this meant the programme was ahead of schedule or whether the timetable would have to be extended.
Responding to these latest developments, the Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, said: “I’m disappointed to learn that the programme of works to repair the Menai Suspension Bridge has now been extended until the end of 2025, four months later than planned. While the work being undertaken to ensure the bridge is safe and resilient is important, it’s clearly impacting local residents and businesses, and now disruption will be prolonged beyond what they were initially told.
“Just a few weeks ago, we welcomed the news that repair work would be paused over the winter months. The clear implication was that the project was ahead of schedule. Finding out that this is not the case and that the project will now take until December 2025 to complete feels as if we’ve been misled.
“But we’re also told that traffic management will be more restrictive than originally planned during the latter stages of the work, with lights in place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This will add significantly to the disruption for local people.
“It’s vital that Welsh Government now move quickly on proposals to make the Britannia Bridge as resilient as possible, especially over next year’s summer months. I will continue to hold both them and the contractors to account and ensure this work is completed safely, but in as short a time as possible.”
