There is a “vital need” for a third crossing over the Menai to safeguard “Anglesey’s socio-economic future” and the wider North Wales region, according to an Anglesey County Council report on the resilience of the Menai crossings.
The issue is due to be discussed at a meeting of the island council’s executive later today (21 July(, says the North Wales Chronicle. Calls are again being made for a third crossing connecting Anglesey with the mainland.
Among the meeting recommendations is to raise the profile for the case for a third crossing, with public and private sector stakeholders.
It also includes calls for a meeting with government Ministers to discuss a “collaborative approach” and to propose a timetable for the next steps and progress.
The draft case for a Third Menai Crossing quoted Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper MS’s, written statement, which said:
“People in Ynys Môn and across north Wales have been let down for too long when it comes to the resilience of the Menai crossings.”
The council paper highlighted the” negative impacts” from the sudden closure of the Menai Bridge in October 2022 which it said “cannot be underestimated”.
It also noted issues during the Eisteddfod yr Urdd week when the Menai Bridge was forced to close three or four times in 24 hrs due to overweight vehicles crossing.
The report said:
“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.”
There has not been a new bridge built across the Menai Strait since 1850. The Menai Bridge was originally completed in 1826, making it 200 years’ old this year. The Britannia Bridge was completed in 1850, albeit some of it was rebuilt after a fire in the 1970s.
“The Green Book (2026) advises a project life cycle of 60 years for infrastructure projects – this means that 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 report said.
“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.”
(Picture: Traffic Wales)
