Menai bridge workers withdrawn after abuse from member of public

Mark Mansfield

Traffic management on the Menai Suspension Bridge was temporarily suspended after a member of the public allegedly abused and harassed workers, with the company responsible warning further incidents could lead to more bridge closures.

UK Highways A55 Ltd said operations were halted on the evening of Monday, July 27, after the latest incident placed the welfare and safety of staff at risk. Footage of the confrontation was later shared on social media.

The company said abuse directed at operatives had become “a common feature” during the second phase of maintenance work on the Grade I-listed bridge.

In a statement, it said: “Our priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of our workforce and subcontractors.”

The contractor rejected suggestions made online that workers using mobile phones while on duty were not paying attention, saying operatives use their phones to verify the revenue weight of vehicles because information provided by drivers can sometimes be inaccurate or understated.

Traffic management was introduced to enforce the 7.5-tonne weight limit on the bridge after repeated cases of non-compliance.

The company said overweight vehicles present an increased risk because of the additional 42 tonnes of weight from the AeroTruss platform, which has been suspended beneath the bridge to allow maintenance work while keeping both traffic lanes open for most of the project. It said the alternative would have been traffic lights throughout the works, causing greater disruption.

According to the statement, every time an overweight vehicle crosses the bridge, precautionary inspections are required to assess for potential damage, delaying the programme and increasing costs. The company also said there had been several occasions when motorists ignored instructions from traffic management operatives and drove across the bridge regardless.

UK Highways A55 Ltd said it had examined other measures, including a scaffold height barrier, but concluded this could create additional safety risks if struck by a vehicle. It also noted that vehicles under three metres high can still exceed the bridge’s weight limit.

Traffic management returned to the bridge on Tuesday, July 28, but the company warned that if further harassment or non-compliance occurs, operatives will leave the site, North Wales Police will be notified and the bridge will be closed.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

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