Temporary bridge to open this week
ATEMPORARY bridge to replace a 19th-century crossing in Gwynedd will be opened this week.
The bridge will allow the reopening of the road over the Rhyd-hir river on the A497 between Efailnewydd and Boduan.
The old Gradee II-II-listedlisted Pont Bodfel waswas closed to trafficaffic three weeks agogo because of sig-nificant structural damage thought to have been mainly caused by scour-ing damagee under the bridgege foundations.
A single-lane tempo-temporary Bailey bridgege hashas nownow been installed andnd workwork toto laylay connecting road surface is being carried out.
The road will then be reopened with a two-way traffic light system by the end of this week.
Work to make safe the structure of the old Pont Bodfel is also being carried out in parallel to the project, and the process of establishing the best permanent solution to the damaged bridge is in hand.
Gwynedd Council’s highways and municipal cabinet member, Councillor Gareth Griffith, said: “I’m sure that the whole local community would agree that this tempo- rary measure is to be welcomed.
“It has meant a quicker re- opening of the A497, reducing the risk of a road traffic accident and allowing the emer- gency services to attend to calls as quickly as possible in the area. Pictures: Arwyn Roberts
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank local residents and road users for their continued patience since the damage was caused to the old bridge three weeks ago.
“Hopefully this latest development will make life much easier for local residents and businesses who have been forced to make an eight-mile diversion from Boduan to Y Ffor.
“When the damage happened on January 26, structural engineers from the Council’s YGC department moved quickly and confirmed that it would not be possible to immediately re-open Pont Bodfel, and council staff have acted to find the best possible temporary solution.
“Installing a temporary bridge and connecting road surface has been a significant challenge, especially as conditions can be difficult in the winter.”
Steffan Jones, the council’s temporary head of highways and municipal services, added that work to repair the three-span masonry bridge poses a “major logistical challenge.”
Gwynedd Council are now in discussions with the local landowner, representatives from Cadw, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the Welsh Government to identify the best long-term solution.
They will need to go through a licensing process before any repair work can be undertaken at Pont Bodfel, due to flooding, pollution and habitat considerations.