Bridge plans set to be scrapped following serious concerns

Plans to rebuild a bridge destroyed by Storm Christoph are set to be scrapped, following serious concerns a new structure could jeopardise the water supply of 85,000 homes.

Pont Llanerch, near Trefnant, Denbighshire, collapsed in January 2021, and since then Denbighshire County Council has been working on proposals to replace the bridge.

But now a design report has revealed construction may pose a risk to the water supply of tens of thousands of residents.

The old bridge was above a vital freshwater aquifer used by Welsh Water to supply drinking water to the area.

But to build the new bridge, engineers would need to drill deep into sandstone layers, which could potentially create fissures contaminating the lake.

Big spend

£1.5 million has already been spent on the design work, but Denbighshire says it can’t guarantee the works wouldn’t endanger public health, following a partnership scrutiny committee recommending pausing the project.

Officers are now recommending cabinet stop the bridge project – which would cost between £8m and £10m – based on the committee’s advice.

Speaking ahead of Denbighshire’s cabinet meeting next week, Tremeirchion councillor Chris Evans said scrapping the plans would be wrong.

“Denbighshire hasn’t visited the issue (considered) a temporary bridge, which can be looked at, which could be there for the next ten years,” he said.

“This should not be officers’ decision, and it definitely shouldn’t be a cabinet decision. It should be county councillors all voting on it.

“We knew about the aquifer when we started. Why have we spent over a million pounds on drawings, meetings, and an exercise to get the bridge done? It is in the corporate plan. It is a major route, a major link, not just for the local villages but for people going to the A55.

“It will affect residents living in Tremeirchion, Rhuallt, Bodfari, and Cwm, and also the residents in Trefnant, Denbigh, Henllan, and Ruthin. They all come through there. The cost of living, the price of fuel is astronomical.”

He added: “They need to look at a temporary bridge. There are only two ways out of this. Either build a bridge or a temporary bridge. If you are telling me that, in 2025, we can’t span ten, fifteen, or twenty feet of water in the world we live in, we’ve got major problems. Why are we not consulting with construction companies?”

Temporary bridge

Trefnant councillor James Elson also said the council should consider a temporary bridge.

“I’m not happy that they can’t come up with an engineering solution,” he said.

“I accept the fact that their preferred solution is a danger to the aquifer, but they need to change the solution to fit the criteria available and reverse engineer it, work out what you can build, and move on with that, rather than coming up with a perfect idea.

“What was there before was a single-track bridge, and there is nothing to stop it being a single-track bridge again, but they don’t seem to take that on board.”

Cllr Elson said the cheaper option of a 30-metre temporary bridge was put to Denbighshire two years ago, set on “benches” either side of the river. Cllr Elson said the structure would have been strong, with no weight limitations.

“But at that time, they wanted to pursue a permanent solution,” he said.

“Now we are getting to the point where there isn’t a permanent solution, so therefore, why not go back to the temporary bridge idea, which could be there for ten years? By then Welsh Water may have changed where they draw the water from, or there could be more engineering possibilities.”

Cabinet are set to debate the matter at the council’s Ruthin County Hall HQ on Tuesday, May 27.