Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

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Berk
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Berk »

Yes, that’s it. However... if they go for the 4-lane option, I hope they keep the Britannia Bridge open to 2-Way traffic. It’s currently proposed to go one-way, whatever the outcome.

Surely there’s enough room for two (slightly narrower) lanes, and a cycleway??
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by danfw194 »

Berk wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 21:00 Yes, that’s it. However... if they go for the 4-lane option, I hope they keep the Britannia Bridge open to 2-Way traffic. It’s currently proposed to go one-way, whatever the outcome.

Surely there’s enough room for two (slightly narrower) lanes, and a cycleway??
Definitely enough room, especially when you compare it to the Menai Suspension Bridge which is slightly narrower and carries 2-way traffic and a cycle/walkway.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Bryn666 »

danfw194 wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 21:46
Berk wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 21:00 Yes, that’s it. However... if they go for the 4-lane option, I hope they keep the Britannia Bridge open to 2-Way traffic. It’s currently proposed to go one-way, whatever the outcome.

Surely there’s enough room for two (slightly narrower) lanes, and a cycleway??
Definitely enough room, especially when you compare it to the Menai Suspension Bridge which is slightly narrower and carries 2-way traffic and a cycle/walkway.
Logic would say to me to restrict the old Menai Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists only, and use the Britannia Bridge as the A5. This would preserve the suspension bridge and make it a landmark in its own right.

I think the Britannia Bridge carriageway is 10m wide, which would mean you could have a 6.5m carriageway and 3.5m for pedestrians and cyclists, given the suspension bridge would be the main way for them.

The current idea of using the old bridge as a slip road is silly.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Berk »

Definitely agree.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by c2R »

Bryn666 wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 12:09
danfw194 wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 21:46
Berk wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 21:00 Yes, that’s it. However... if they go for the 4-lane option, I hope they keep the Britannia Bridge open to 2-Way traffic. It’s currently proposed to go one-way, whatever the outcome.

Surely there’s enough room for two (slightly narrower) lanes, and a cycleway??
Definitely enough room, especially when you compare it to the Menai Suspension Bridge which is slightly narrower and carries 2-way traffic and a cycle/walkway.
Logic would say to me to restrict the old Menai Bridge to pedestrians and cyclists only, and use the Britannia Bridge as the A5. This would preserve the suspension bridge and make it a landmark in its own right.

I think the Britannia Bridge carriageway is 10m wide, which would mean you could have a 6.5m carriageway and 3.5m for pedestrians and cyclists, given the suspension bridge would be the main way for them.

The current idea of using the old bridge as a slip road is silly.
Presumably it allows for easier bridge closures for railway maintenance, and a more straightforward (cheaper) junction design, but yes I agree in principle. Are there bus routes across the old bridge; access for them should be retained if so.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Berk »

Remember, the railway is on the bottom deck - so I don’t really see why the road deck would need to be closed for rail maintenance.

Unless we talking about structural maintenance (bearing replacements and so on).
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Euan »

Presumably if the new crossing is to be one-way then it would be mainland bound only with the existing crossing carrying the Anglesey bound traffic. If that was the case then I suppose both bridges would be numbered as A55 and could be jointly regarded as a basic dual carriageway that has temporarily diverged as some other dual carriageways often do occasionally.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Big L »

Euan wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 08:39 ...often do occasionally.
:D
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Euan »

Big L wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 09:24
Euan wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 08:39 ...often do occasionally.
:D
Oh!

That may have sounded like a bit of a contradiction. What I meant was that some stretches of the same dual carriageway or motorway can often diverge (i.e. more than once along the same stretch of road), but the number of roads where this does happen is rather few (i.e. only seen occasionally). The best examples of this that come to my mind located elsewhere are the M6 at Shap and the A9 in Glen Garry. The same description is suitable for the A55 itself as its carriageways use separate tunnels either side of Penmaenmawr.

Sorry about the confusion, not exactly the clearest thing I've written!
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by wrinkly »

Pont Bendigeidfran's suggestion has reached the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... les-bridge
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Euan »

wrinkly wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 17:46 Pont Bendigeidfran's suggestion has reached the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... les-bridge
Just as long as it actually holds the bridge up safely, that's the main thing. I have to say, I wouldn't be surprised if it became a national icon of Wales within a few years if the proposal did come to pass.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Berk »

It needs to be said - as a driver, or road passenger, you can’t actually see much of the bridge you’re travelling on. Who’s seen the graceful arches of the Wansford Bypass Bridge or Wentbridge Viaduct unless they got down there with a camera?? :?:

From the SABRE Wiki: Wansford Bypass Bridge :

The narrow medieval bridge over the River Nene at Wansford (known as Wansford Bridge) was a great hindrance to the increasing traffic using the Great North Road (the later A1) in the 1920s. The A1 is the major route from London to Edinburgh.


A new bridge was constructed between 1925 and 1928 to the east of

... Read More
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

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by Berk » Mon Oct 29, 2018 01:03

It needs to be said - as a driver, or road passenger, you can’t actually see much of the bridge you’re travelling on.
True, but I assume it would still attract tourist, who would view it from other positions. Such as there is a local road, that apparently has a viewpoint, which would have a great view of the bridge.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by danfw194 »

RichardEvans67 wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 00:50
by Berk » Mon Oct 29, 2018 01:03

It needs to be said - as a driver, or road passenger, you can’t actually see much of the bridge you’re travelling on.
True, but I assume it would still attract tourist, who would view it from other positions. Such as there is a local road, that apparently has a viewpoint, which would have a great view of the bridge.
Correct, there is a specific Menai Bridge viewpoint on the A5. Ironically the viewpoint may be wiped out by the new bridge alignment.
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Robert Kilcoyne »

danfw194 wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 18:29
RichardEvans67 wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 00:50
by Berk » Mon Oct 29, 2018 01:03

It needs to be said - as a driver, or road passenger, you can’t actually see much of the bridge you’re travelling on.
True, but I assume it would still attract tourist, who would view it from other positions. Such as there is a local road, that apparently has a viewpoint, which would have a great view of the bridge.
Correct, there is a specific Menai Bridge viewpoint on the A5. Ironically the viewpoint may be wiped out by the new bridge alignment.
The viewpoint is here:-
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.22230 ... 6656?hl=en
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Re: Third Menai Crossing (consultation)

Post by Euan »

danfw194 wrote: Tue Nov 06, 2018 18:29
RichardEvans67 wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 00:50
by Berk » Mon Oct 29, 2018 01:03

It needs to be said - as a driver, or road passenger, you can’t actually see much of the bridge you’re travelling on.
True, but I assume it would still attract tourist, who would view it from other positions. Such as there is a local road, that apparently has a viewpoint, which would have a great view of the bridge.
Correct, there is a specific Menai Bridge viewpoint on the A5. Ironically the viewpoint may be wiped out by the new bridge alignment.
I doubt it, the proposed route for the bridge is well to the west of the A5 viewpoint. As long as the third bridge doesn't block out the view of the old Britannia Bridge too much, it may even be possible to eventually catch a glimpse of all three bridges from the viewpoint (from one end of the layby).
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Menai Straits Crossing - what's needed?

Post by Rillington »

What do we think should be done to improve the current situation regarding crossing the Menai Straits?
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Re: Menai Straits Crossing - what's needed?

Post by KeithW »

Rillington wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 19:01 What do we think should be done to improve the current situation regarding crossing the Menai Straits?
Elect a government that believes new roads and bridges are a good thing. The current Welsh Government has frozen all new road construction saying.
The deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters wrote: In the next 10 years, we are going to need to more than double all the cuts we have managed over the last 30 years if we are going to keep temperature rises within safe limits. That means changes in all parts of our lives. Transport makes up some 17% of our total emissions and so must play its part.

We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.
The last time this was raised in the Sened this was the response.

"All schemes not currently in the ground need to be reviewed, and there needs to be a set of metrics developed to decide which ones should go ahead and which ones shouldn't. In the meantime, we can reallocate some of that funding towards road maintenance and improving public transport. So, the problems that Mark Isherwood identified can be dealt with in other ways.All schemes not currently in the ground need to be reviewed, and there needs to be a set of metrics developed to decide which ones should go ahead and which ones shouldn't. In the meantime, we can reallocate some of that funding towards road maintenance and improving public transport. So, the problems that Mark Isherwood identified can be dealt with in other ways.”

In other words - leave you car at home and cycle, take a bus or catch a train.
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Re: Menai Straits Crossing - what's needed?

Post by RichardA35 »

Rillington wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 19:01 What do we think should be done to improve the current situation regarding crossing the Menai Straits?
What exactly is the problem that requires to be solved?
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Re: Menai Straits Crossing - what's needed?

Post by Chris Bertram »

RichardA35 wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 20:34
Rillington wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 19:01 What do we think should be done to improve the current situation regarding crossing the Menai Straits?
What exactly is the problem that requires to be solved?
More traffic needing to cross the straits than the current crossings can adequately cope with, maybe, especially a lack of redundancy in case of blockages. Bear in mind that, private traffic aside, this is perhaps the major freight artery between GB and Ireland.
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