Emergency meeting held over Menai Bridge disruption

Mark Mansfield

An emergency meeting has been held over continuing disruption on the Menai Suspension Bridge.

Deputy Minister for Transport Mark Hooper met police, council officials and those responsible for the bridge to discuss repeated closures, breaches of its weight limit and concerns about traffic management.

The meeting followed a series of incidents which have caused disruption for communities and businesses on Ynys Môn and the mainland.

Traffic management workers were temporarily withdrawn on July 27 after a member of the public allegedly abused and harassed staff. UK Highways A55 Ltd has said abuse has become a “common feature” during the current phase of maintenance work.

Mr Hooper said: “People on Ynys Môn and across the north of Wales have been let down for far too long on the Menai Bridge.

“This government is acting with urgency to put solutions in place. We are accelerating work to deliver a long-term solution and I will be updating on this work in the autumn.

“But action is needed right now on a number of issues and yesterday I held an emergency meeting to tackle some of those issues.”

Weight restrictions

The Grade I-listed bridge is currently subject to a 7.5-tonne weight restriction, with larger vehicles required to use the Britannia Bridge.

The restriction has repeatedly been breached, with overweight vehicles crossing despite traffic management measures intended to prevent them doing so.

The problem led to the bridge being closed three times in eight days in May, with each breach requiring precautionary inspections before it could reopen.

UK Highways has said the issue is particularly important during current maintenance work because a 42-tonne AeroTruss platform is suspended beneath the bridge.

It has warned that further incidents involving abuse or drivers ignoring instructions could result in workers being withdrawn and the bridge closing.

Mr Hooper said: “The safety and welfare of everyone is our utmost priority. The recent behaviour directed at those working on site is completely unacceptable. No one should be harassed or abused whilst doing their job.

“I want to reassure everyone that we are exploring all possible options to minimise future unplanned closures on the bridge, including continuing discussions on camera technology and compliance measures and further engagement with partners on enforcement activity.”

Communication

The emergency meeting also considered complaints about traffic management and the information being provided to motorists and local communities.

Concerns included signage, diversion information and the impact of the restrictions on journey times.

Mr Hooper said: “We recognise the real and significant disruption being experienced by communities and businesses on both sides of the bridge.

“There was clear agreement that all communications must improve, and I am committed to ensuring regular updates on the progress of the works being made and the challenges that remain are provided to the local community.”

The Welsh Government had already promised action on the resilience of the two Menai Strait crossings following disruption in May, which coincided with the Urdd Eisteddfod on Ynys Môn.

At the time, Mr Hooper said people on the island and across north Wales had been “let down for too long” over the resilience of the crossings.

The latest meeting involved UK Highways A55 DBFO Ltd, local authorities, trunk road agents and North Wales Police.

Mr Hooper said he would remain in contact with UK Highways and the other organisations involved to ensure measures agreed at the meeting were implemented and emerging problems dealt with quickly.

Work on a longer-term solution is also being accelerated, with the Deputy Minister expected to provide a further update in the autumn.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.