Bridge work signed off

Montgomeryshire AM Russell George has raised the issue of lengthy delays to the repairs to the Cefn Bridge on the A458 at Trewern near Welshpool, with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford.

On Tuesday he asked the first minister to intervene and liaise 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.

County councillor for Trewern, Buttington and Middletown, Amanda Jenner, has also campaigned for demonstrable progress to be made on the necessary repairs which were caused by an accident on the bridge in December 2018.

A date has now been fixed for the work to take place, and Mr George said: "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 near Trewern 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."

Mr George paid tribute to the local member for bringing the matter forward to help get things sorted.

He added: “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.”