Monmouthshire County Council has issued an update on the planned resurfacing works on the Wye Bridge in Monmouth. The proposed closure, due to start 16^th October, has now been postponed until Spring 2024 at the earliest. The decision has been made after the Council was unable to proceed due to a non-compliant tender.

The need for a major investment to improve the condition of the Wye Bridge is widely appreciated by residents and businesses in Monmouth and surrounding areas. The criticality of the Wye Bridge as a key part of the travel network means that finding a way to resurface the Wye Bridge with minimal disruption will always be a challenge. This is made more difficult given the bridge’s age and unique structure.

Monmouthshire County Council would like to reassure residents and businesses that their concerns and needs will be respected and considered, and every effort will be made to minimise disruption to people’s lives when the works take place.

Monmouthshire County Council also confirmed that it was mindful of other major infrastructure improvement projects in Monmouth, notably extensive work by Welsh Water on their infrastructure. These works are expected to commence in September. Details can be found at www.dwrcymru.com/en/help-advice/in-your-area

The Council will review the new timings to minimise the impact of disruption to residents and businesses where possible. Based on the need to go out to tender again, the very earliest that the works are likely to be able to proceed will be spring 2024.

The Council is still being advised by our engineers that it will be necessary to shut the bridge to all traffic other than emergency services and pedestrians when work does proceed. The Council will continue to explore options to limit the impact of the closure through the new tendering process and will issue updates as and when information is confirmed.