BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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rhyds
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BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-34462014
Plans for a new £24m Dyfi Bridge near Machynlleth in Powys have been drawn up to improve travel times, said Transport Minister Edwina Hart.

She said the current Grade II* listed bridge on the A487 road is narrow and creates a pinch-point.

A new viaduct will cross the River Dyfi upstream of the existing bridge which will be retained under the plans.

The 200-year-old bridge has been frequently hit by floods and vehicles over the years, causing its closure.

Mrs Hart said: "This project is part of the Welsh government's commitment to improving transport links between north and south Wales."

An exhibition on the plans is being held at Y Plas, Machynlleth, on Wednesday between 10:00-20:00 BST.
I might pop down and see the plans this evening, especially to see if they have any plans to alleviate the flooding under the railway bridge immediately after the new viaduct.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by M5Lenzar »

Good to see they're retaining the other bridge. Too often is the old crossing closed off, leading to problems when the new crossing is closed due to an incident.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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M5Lenzar wrote:Good to see they're retaining the other bridge. Too often is the old crossing closed off, leading to problems when the new crossing is closed due to an incident.
The question is how they're planning to utilise it. A lot of the current issues are down to HGVs being unable to go from the A493 to the A487(S) and vice versa without taking a chunk of bridge out.

Also, it will be interesting to see what (if anything) is to be done about the "sump" of floodwater that builds up under the railway bridge. If this is dealt with, then the whole route could be kept open during floods.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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I suppose there is no Mach by-pass consideration....and as it looks it won't help with the flooding under the railway bridge which will still close the road.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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AAndy wrote:I suppose there is no Mach by-pass consideration....and as it looks it won't help with the flooding under the railway bridge which will still close the road.
As I mentioned in my edited post the railway bridge is the elephant in the room. Get that sorted and you have pretty much solved the issue of the A487 flooding to the north of the town. Leave it as it is and there's going to be little difference in flood management, but it will be a bonus not to have the annual 3-way lights when a truck demolishes the parapet.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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Rhyds, yes, I missed your 2nd post.

I cannot find any online plans....you'll have to get along and take some photo's of them :D .
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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AAndy wrote:Rhyds, yes, I missed your 2nd post.

I cannot find any online plans....you'll have to get along and take some photo's of them :D .
Best dig out my spy camera. Its disguised as a mobile phone!
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by orudge »

AAndy wrote:I suppose there is no Mach by-pass consideration....and as it looks it won't help with the flooding under the railway bridge which will still close the road.
According to a local news article last year, the AM has said "an associated bypass scheme to be developed in conjunction with a new bridge crossing is something neither local residents nor the wider community of Machynlleth have asked for or want".

I wonder if this is the usual case of a loud minority speaking up against a silent majority?
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by Bryn666 »

Monbiot? :roll:
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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Moan-Bigot doesn't get too involved with local matters (it's a bit beneath his Guardianista radar).

To be honest, outside of summer peak traffic, Machynlleth does flow pretty well.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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Well I popped down with my father this evening, and there was a fair bit of information.

First of all, here is the web address: http://gov.wales/topics/transport/roads ... e/?lang=en

The scheme is to push a viaduct across the floodplain from around where the current 30mph ends towards the A487 near its junction with the B4404. (PDF plan here)

The A493 will continue past the current bridge (which is to remain for pedestrian and cycle use and possible vehicular for access) and join the A487 at a flat T-junction. There was a lot of consternation about this, as many of the locals (my dad included) suggesting it should be a roundabout (especially considering the A470 Dolgellau bypass debacle) rather than a flat T, considering that traffic heading north from Machynlleth will have a straight, high speed run through.

Just about everyone there mentioned the drainage issues at the railway bridge, and apparently this will be "looked at in detail". There's no plans yet as to how to sort it, but apparently it will be seen to as part of the flood modelling, and they will try and work out what the heck is going on with the drains in the area.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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rhyds wrote:Well I popped down with my father this evening, and there was a fair bit of information.

First of all, here is the web address: http://gov.wales/topics/transport/roads ... e/?lang=en

The scheme is to push a viaduct across the floodplain from around where the current 30mph ends towards the A487 near its junction with the B4404. (PDF plan here)

The A493 will continue past the current bridge (which is to remain for pedestrian and cycle use and possible vehicular for access) and join the A487 at a flat T-junction. There was a lot of consternation about this, as many of the locals (my dad included) suggesting it should be a roundabout (especially considering the A470 Dolgellau bypass debacle) rather than a flat T, considering that traffic heading north from Machynlleth will have a straight, high speed run through.

Just about everyone there mentioned the drainage issues at the railway bridge, and apparently this will be "looked at in detail". There's no plans yet as to how to sort it, but apparently it will be seen to as part of the flood modelling, and they will try and work out what the heck is going on with the drains in the area.
Thanks for the links.

How on earth have they designed all this without thinking about sorting out the railway bridge....or what is causing that flooding? ... arghh, it drives me mad!

And a newly designed T junction on 2 a roads.....they'll be saying 'that'll be adequate'. rubbish. It should at least be a roundabout but ideally a GSJ, a bit over -engineering is always best.

FWIW, Llanidloes is good example for them. The town bypass down the old railway line has a roundabout on the northern end and a T junction on the southern side.....You will know that the majority of accidents ( and some bad ones at that) happen on/around the T junction. I bet a few more people would be alive today if a roundabout had have been built at both ends.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

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IIRC Llanidloes was originally T-junctions both ends. My only issue with a roundabout would be to make it big enough so that the free flow of the A487 isn't overly affected by it. A GSJ between two single carriageways would be rather over the top for what is a non-primary A493.

As for the railway bridge, the impression I was given was that it would be looked at as part of the scheme. It seems the basic issue is that no-one actually knows what state the current drains are in, and that development in the Mynydd Griffiths and railway station area has led to more runoff heading down towards the railway bridge, causing the marginal drainage to be overloaded.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by Berk »

Has the public inquiry been (provisionally) tabled yet??
rhyds wrote:A GSJ between two single carriageways would be rather over the top for what is a non-primary A493.
These are very, very rare indeed. The only one I can think of is on the A303 - in a rural setting.

To have one in rural mid-Wales would be a little bit... monstrous. I do agree with the general principle though - just in urban areas, not the countryside. Unless it happens to be on a major (non-)Trunk Road (like the A303).
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by wrinkly »

Berk wrote:Has the public inquiry been (provisionally) tabled yet??
Bit early for that as the draft orders have only just been published. After the end of the objection period, if objections have been made and can't be resolved by discussion, and can't be dismissed as trivial, an inquiry will be announced.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by Berk »

True, they sometimes provisionally schedule one beforehand (like with the M4), so they don't have to make arrangements afterwards. Then if there are no objections afterwards, they can always cancel it.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by mapboy »

I stayed in Machynlleth last week whilst on holiday, so it was rather surprising to discover this thread with its recent updates. I used the bridge in question many times over the course of the week and can fully understand why it needs replacing, from the repaired sidewalls to the tight turnings at the north end of the bridge. From my albeit brief experience, I'd agree with the older comments in this thread that a roundabout would be preferable as there does appear to be significant traffic using the A493.
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by rhyds »

£46m Dyfi bridge replacement given go-ahead

Finally! I'll see if the WG have released any updated plans as yet
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Re: BBC: £24m Dyfi Bridge plans go on show at Machynlleth

Post by Truvelo »

I'm sure it's just dodgy drawing but the artists impression shows a suicide S3 layout to the right of the bridge. In reality it should be a right turn lane.
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