Ruthin firm tasked with design for third Menai crossing

A North Wales firm has been tasked with drawing up design options for a long-awaited third crossing along the Menai Strait.

Ruthin-based landscape, planning and environmental consultancy Richards, Moorehead and Laing Ltd (RML) as part of a team led by AECOM, has secured the major Welsh Government contract.

Under the terms of the deal, RML will identify and develop initial designs for a new bridge crossing that will link Anglesey with the mainland, with a view towards identifying a preferred route.

Ivor Richards OBE, managing director at RML, said: “As an engineer I find it exciting and a privilege to be following in the steps of Telford and Stephenson.

“We will carry out the key role of Environmental Coordinator and provide landscape appraisal services.

“Our long experience of infrastructure projects on the island such as the design and construction of the A55 and our Welsh language capability will be important parts of our input into the project.”

The spectre of a third crossing, complementing the existing Menai and Britannia bridges, has been looming for several years.

The Britannia Bridge is the only section of the A55 that is not a dual carriageway, resulting in significant bottlenecks during the morning and evening rush hours, as well as other pinch points during the summer months, couples with heavy traffic travelling to and from Holyhead port.

The Welsh Government has already revealed that any crossing is likely to be a bridge rather than a tunnel or any other structure, but would be expected to cost around £200m.

The possibility of the National Grid contributing towards the cost of a new bridge remains on the table however, with Economy Minister Ken Skates keen to discuss integrating cables linking projects such as Wylfa Newydd, as part of the structure rather than the Grid paying for a £100m tunnel under the Straits.

Last year, Mr Skates said that construction of a new bridge could be up and running by 2021.

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