The Welsh Local Government Minister has been challenged by a Mid Wales AM to make public his future plans for the Dyfi Bridge, near Machynlleth.
During weekly ministerial questions in the National Assembly, Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, took an opportunity to question Local Government and Communities Minister, Carl Sargeant AM, on a reply he had sent to Machynlleth Town Council last December regarding the future of the bridge.
In that letter, he stated that four possible improvement solutions had been identified by his officials to overcome existing problems at the current site and these solutions were being examined in more detail.
The Montgomeryshire AM asked if he would make those solutions public, however the Mr Sargeant declined to comment further, citing that the exploratory work on each of the options was still being worked on and that further details would follow shortly.
Commenting, Mr George said:
"While I was pleased that the Minister acknowledged the importance of finding a viable solution for Dyfi Bridge, I was disappointed he was not yet able to provide the details of the four options that have been identified.
"The Government has been far too opaque on this issue for too long. For months we have been hearing that a decision would be imminent but we are still no closer to understanding what the proposed solutions are.
"There are communities on both side of the river who want to see a clear way forward on this issue now and I believe the Minister should make public the options his officials have identified with those communities, even if all the details have yet to be finalised.
Local County Councillor, Mike Williams, also pressed for an urgent decision to be made:
"Welsh Government needs to take action and deliver a solution that will overcome the constant periods of flooding that the bridge frequently experiences.
"I believe the ideal solution would be a new road replacement built over the flood plain but I’m willing to debate this further if we had firm options on the table."