Cefn Bridge repairs scheduled for June

Work is set to start on repairs to the controversial Cefn Bridge, near Trewern, in June, six months after a lorry crashed through its safety barriers.

Traffic lights have been in place since the early New Year incident, causing traffic delays which became ridiculous during the busy Easter weekend.

The cause was taken up by local Assembly Member, Russell George, who has reported back with some good news from the Senedd, with work set to be completed ahead of the summer holidays.

Mr George raised the issue with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford AM, and requested that he intervened and liaised with Network Rail to ensure that the safety concerns of operating on a live railway track are resolved so that permanent repairs to the A458 can take place.

The County Councillor for Trewern, Buttington and Middletown, Cllr. Amanda Jenner, has also campaigned for demonstrable progress to be made on the necessary repairs. 

“I was delighted that the First Minister was able to respond positively to my question, and announce that permanent repairs are going to take place to the Cefn Bridge between Friday 7th and Sunday 9th June.

“The lengthy delays have been frustrating for not only the many local people that use this road on a regular basis but the thousands of holiday-makers who use this main thoroughfare to travel to and from Mid Wales from the Midlands and elsewhere.

“I would of course have liked works to begin earlier, as we have two bank holiday weekends in May, but It does appear as though the First Minister’s intervention has focussed the attention of Network Rail and the North Wales Trunk Road Agency for which I am grateful.

“Now that we have a date, we look forward to things getting back to normal and I must pay tribute to the way in which the County Councillor for Trewern, Amanda Jenner, and the local Community Council have engaged with me on this issue to expedite a resolution to this matter which has caused so much disruption over recent months.”