The Welsh Government has made public its four proposed options for the future of the 200 year old Dyfi Bridge, the crossing between Powys and Gwynedd.
The long awaited announcement has come just weeks after pressure was put on the Local Government Minister, Carl Sargeant AM, to make his plans known. At the end of January, Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, asked Mr Sargeant in the National Assembly when he would be unveiling his options to the public. The minister responded by saying that he was waiting on ‘further advice from officials on the detail’ but he understood it was an ‘important’ local issue.
The Welsh Government has now confirmed it is considering four options for the Dyfi Bridge, including a new crossing and widening the existing bridge. The options are:
- A new crossing upstream of Dyfi bridge
- A new crossing downstream of Dyfi bridge
- Widening and strengthening the existing bridge, flood mitigation and raising the existing A487
- Widening and strengthening the existing bridge and flood mitigation.
While the Montgomeryshire AM has welcomed the announcement, he has called on the Government to publish the details of each option as soon as possible.
Commenting, Mr George said:
"I am pleased that the Minister has finally released these four proposed options for the future of the Dyfi Bridge.
"The Government has dragged its feet on this issue for far too long and it’s only been through sheer dogged persistence, particular from Town Mayor, Cllr Gareth Jones and County Councillor, Mike Williams that we are now at this stage.
"A long-term, viable solution for the crossing has been eagerly anticipated by all the communities affected and we now want to get on and debate these proposals and find out which one of these will lead to the most beneficial outcome.
"However, in order for us to make that informed decision, it is vital that more details are released as soon as possible; we need to have clarity about the specific nature of each option and we need to know what the Minister’s timetable is for taking this work forward.
"Dyfi Valley residents now want openness and transparency from the Minister and I will be writing to him in an attempt to garner more detailed information."