The Welsh Government has ordered the emergency closure of the Menai Bridge to all traffic after a routine inspection highlighted ‘serious concerns’ about the structure.
In a statement to the Welsh Parliament, transport minister Lee Waters said the decision to close the bridge last Friday afternoon (21 October) was made on safety grounds after clear advice from structural engineers and conversations with the police.
All vehicular traffic is now being diverted across the Britannia Bridge. The Menai Bridge, which links mainland Wales to Anglesey, is managed by a private company, UK Highways A55 Ltd, as part of a PFI Design-Build-Finance-Operate contract.
UK Highways carries out inspections on the bridge as part of its maintenance responsibility at standard two-year and six-year intervals.
General inspections every two years are visual inspections, typically using binoculars or aerial drone surveys, while principal inspections every six years involve close examinations.
Mr Waters said that as part of the last principal inspection in 2019 a concern about the resilience of hangers, which support the suspension bridge was identified. A weight restriction was imposed on the bridge while further studies were carried out.
The latest inspection, which was reported to the Welsh Government last Wednesday ‘unexpectedly highlighted an immediate concern around the brittle failure mechanism of the hangers’.
Mr Waters said: ‘As is standard practice, officials reviewed and challenged the findings, however, based on very clear advice from structural engineers it was considered there was no other option but to close the bridge while further checks on the analysis are undertaken by an independent consultant.
‘This is not a decision that was taken lightly. I fully appreciate the implications that this will have for local people especially without any advance warnings. However, the safety of our network and the travelling public is paramount and the decision has been based upon the safety recommendations from the structural engineers.’
Mr Waters said the findings that led to the recommendation to close the bridge are currently being reviewed with an initial review set to take up to two weeks.
He added that temporary hanger strengthening works may need to be installed to ensure the safety and integrity of the Menai Bridge. This could take between 14-16 weeks, with the bridge reopening to vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes in early 2023.
In the meantime, officials are working on further contingency plans in the area and will continue to monitor the congestion issues to inform future changes.
They are also developing further strategies to increase resilience on the Britannia Bridge to mitigate the risk of both bridges being closed in exceptional circumstances, Mr Waters said.
Paula Renzel, Welsh roads & climate campaigner for Transport Action Network Cymru said: 'This closure, while disruptive, highlights the need for measures to be brought in to reduce the amount of traffic using the bridge.
'Better options for people to walk, cycle, car share and use public transport need to be implemented immediately. Novel solutions such as temporary bus priority measures, more bus and rail services could all help alleviate the strain on the road.'
She added: 'If this is done well, it could provide a model for lasting change that improves things for everyone'.
