Welsh Government could look to EU to pay for new Menai Bridge

The Welsh Government say it will look at financing the £670m project ‘as it comes up’

The Welsh Government will look to the UK Government, or even Europe, to try fund its plans for a third bridge linking Anglesey to mainland Wales.

On Tuesday Welsh Government transport minister Mark Hooper announced the Plaid-led administration would go ahead with building a third bridge.

There was no detail as to how it would be paid for.

The plan announced by the Welsh Government was given an estimated £670m price tag. Asked where that money would be found he said: “There are a number of actors who will be benefiting from this road being built.

“I think the opportunity for us as Welsh Government to have conversations.

“This road connects not just Wales and Wales, it also connects Wales and the UK to the European Union. It’s a key trade route. Holyhead, I was there the other day, is the second biggest roll-on, roll-off ferry terminal in the UK. This is where a lot of traffic and a lot of trade comes through – it needs to work.

“There’s a number of things out there, including UK government, again, effectively, and it’s really important for the European Union for this route to be effective as well.

“But at the moment, the way the bridges work at the moment, the new bridge, as they say, is 175 years old. There’s a big difference in terms of the resilience of these bridges.”

Asked whether the route could be a toll road, he replied: “This conversation has not been something that we’ve considered or addressed. The First Minister, cabinet ministers, or my staff, it hasn’t come up – it isn’t on our horizon..

“We’ll be looking at financing as it comes up.” Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

The existing protected route for a new bridge, east of the existing Britannia Bridge, he said, “makes a lot of sense”.

Mr Hooper also said it “could” be the case the Britannia Bridge would become pedestrian and bike only.

The timescale given for the project was between eight and 10 years and Mr Hooper confirmed repair works are on track to finish in spring, which would allow the weight limit to be removed.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday Mr Hooper said: “People on Ynys Môn and across the north of our country know how disruptive it can be when one of the Menai crossings is restricted or closed. The review confirms that resilience remains the key challenge. That is why this government will immediately recommence development work for a third Menai crossing. This will include design development, environmental assessment, business case preparation, and the statutory processes needed to establish a deliverable scheme.

“A third crossing remains the most effective option for improving resilience and providing additional capacity across the Menai strait. But major infrastructure cannot be delivered simply by announcing it. The necessary development work must be undertaken if we are to move from aspiration to a proposal that, ultimately, can be developed.”

Short-term measures will also be put in place on the Britannia Bridge, he said, including wind deflectors.

Reform UK spokesperson Louise Emery urged the Welsh Government to “get on with that” as soon as possible. “We’ve got a winter ahead of us,” she said.