Pressure grows for third Menai crossing as council warns north Wales is being held back

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

Pressure is growing for a third crossing over the Menai Strait, with councillors warning that years of congestion and bridge closures are holding back the economy of both Anglesey and north Wales.

A report due before Anglesey County Council’s executive on Tuesday (July 21) urges the Welsh Government to accelerate work on a new crossing, arguing it is essential to improve transport resilience, support businesses and safeguard the region’s long-term prosperity.

The report recommends stepping up efforts to make the case for a third Menai crossing with public and private sector stakeholders, as well as seeking a meeting with Welsh ministers to agree a collaborative approach and timetable for progressing the scheme.

The renewed push follows years of disruption caused by problems affecting the Menai Bridge and Britannia Bridge, the only two road crossings linking Anglesey with the mainland.

The report says the impact of the sudden closure of Menai Bridge in October 2022 “cannot be underestimated”, while more recent closures during this year’s Urdd Eisteddfod, caused by overweight vehicles attempting to cross the bridge, created widespread traffic chaos.

“What should have been a celebration of Welsh language, arts and culture and the island in itself, was partially overshadowed by the chaos caused by the closure of the Menai Bridge,” the report states.

Council leaders argue that the long-term solution is a third crossing, noting that no new bridge has been built across the Menai Strait since the Britannia Bridge opened in 1850.

The Menai Suspension Bridge, completed in 1826, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.

The report points to the Treasury’s 2026 Green Book guidance, which assumes a 60-year life cycle for major infrastructure projects.

It says: “The Menai Bridge has already been operating for 3.3 times its anticipated life cycle, and that is the expected life cycle for a bridge that opens now with modern design and technology.

“The long-term solution is a third crossing of the Menai Strait. The case for this has already been made by Welsh Government through previous studies which in 2016 concluded that to ‘do nothing’ was not an option. In the intervening 10 years, the situation has worsened.”

The council welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement in June that it would begin examining detailed options for a third crossing.

Unreliable transport links

The report argues that unreliable transport links are having far-reaching consequences for the island.

“The ongoing congestion and lack of resilience is severely limiting and having a profound negative impact on social, economic, educational, health and cultural connections to and from the rest of the country.

“It is also hampering the island’s ability to attract the businesses and economic activity it needs to reduce a cycle of job losses, lower on-island employment and increasing reliance on off-island jobs.”

The report adds that repeated bridge closures are also damaging Anglesey’s tourism industry by making the island a less attractive destination for visitors.

It concludes that a third crossing is vital not only for Anglesey’s socio-economic future, but also for the wider economy of north Wales and the UK’s international connectivity with European markets.

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