BRIDGES OVER THE MENAI STRAITS—FSB REVIEW.

  At a recent meeting of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, in Holyhead, Anglesey, in March, the Anglesey MP, Mr Albert Owen, asked the Federation of Small Businesses, here on the Island, to submit a Review document, on business losses, which occur when major public works are carried out on the two Bridges over the Menai Straits.

  This Review document is enclosed, the FSB trusts that the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, will take note of these findings, which we believe should be addressed, either in the short term,or long term, by the Welsh Assembly.

  The FSB are grateful for the opportunity, of being able to submit this Review, and trust that the Welsh Assembly, will find it useful in their conclusions to a better Transport system in Anglesey.

Selwyn Williams

Hon Secretary,

Anglesey Branch.

25 April 2002

  A short review of the observations of members of the FSB—of delays and losses which have occurred, while maintenance work on the two bridges—spanning the Menai Straits, have been carried out, between 1998-2002.

BRIDGES OVER THE MENAI STRAITS

  The FSB has for many years highlighted in the media the plight of small businesses on Anglesey, who have suffered such huge business losses with re-occurring maintenance on the two Bridges crossing the Menai Straits, which separates Anglesey from the mainland.

  Since the early days, the resident maintenance crew, whose foreman was Joe Hughes (Joe Bont), looked after the Suspension Bridge, on their retirement the Welsh Office decided that such work would go out to private tendering, since then the bridge has suffered substantially.

  The Menai Suspension Bridge was designed by a brilliant Scottish engineer, Thomas Telford, constructed and completed in 1826, in its day it was regarded as one of the finest engineering feats in the world, some of the original engineering features of the bridge are still in use today.

  Towards the autumn of 1999 vital repairs were needed on the bridge, and engineers Carillion Laing Joint Venture were to lay a new road surface across the span of the bridge, after successful tests had been carried out at the Imperial College, London.

  The constant relaying of the road surface on the bridge caused considerable difficulties, the joke of foot passengers and motorists at that time was counting the holes in the road surface, each day, where the bonding material was unsuccessful.

  We are very fortunate that in Menai Bridge we have our own resident bridge watcher and recordist, former Gwynedd Councillor Elwyn Gray-Hughes, who daily recorded the holes as they appeared.

  Traffic delays caused enormous tail-backs, the traveller to work had to rise two hours earlier to avoid the traffic jams, which would take as much as three hours to thin out on the Britannia Bridge.

  The great loss of trade to businesses on the island was irreplaceble, with delayed transportation deliveries the buying public spent their wealth in Llandudno, Chester, even by-passing traditional Bangor businesses.

  The losses are never compensated, but borne by businesses, Government departments and Civil Servants, unable to comprehend what profit and loss means in the private sector.

  The maintenance of the Suspension Bridge is such that it would be better that the Welsh Assembly recreate a resident crew, as the metalwork has deteriorated so much that in parts it will need replacing, the cost of repainting and refurbishing will be far greater than the Government realises.

  If the Government is considering spending in the short term, then businesses on Anglesey will have a permanent problem with the bridge being dressed in scaffolding and traffic lights for ever.

  The FSB has been calling for the Government to build a third crossing of the Menai Straits since March 2000.

  Through many media articles, in television and radio, the FSB has been highlighting the difficulties of businesses on the Island, the Britannia Bridge, though sound in strength, lacks breadth to sustain the huge volumes of traffic passing over it.

  The Welsh Assembly Minister, Ms Sue Essex, has had many meeting with political personalities from Anglesey, on measures to plan for the future, the understanding of the FSB is that a three lane highway will be created across the Britannia Bridge with a gantry at either end, with traffic lights, which will be switched on by the Police Authority at Colwyn Bay, this, though admirable, should only be used for the short term until a new Bridge is constructed.

  In this part of North Wales we are well used to long term traffic lights on a temporary basis (Siliwen Road, in Bangor, twenty five years duration). This plan will not be praised by businesses and domestic vehicle owners. Far greater emphasis should be put on public safety, for in the future many road accidents will occur.

  The Welsh Office in 1987, made a statement, that the dual carriageway on the A55, would last for 15 years, but no further plans were made for the Britannia Bridge.

  The Britannia Bridge, though opened in 1850 by another brilliant engineer, George Stephenson, was by far stronger in design, and able to withstand the disasterous fire in 1971 which meant that the Bridge was remodelled to carry road and railway traffic.

  It now needs further modification to receive a cantilever construction, the FSB believes the Bridge can stand the extra weight, and will reduce the bottleneck, that it presently creates. This method would be far more less costly than building a new Bridge across the Menai, with new roads,

  The Britannia Bridge bottleneck will not go away.

  In 2001, the Royal Air Force in Valley arranged another Open Day, the first for many years, between 20-25,000 vehicles were stuck on traffic jams across the Island, the tailbacks went on for ever—a three lane highway would reduce this, but in the long term the FSB believes that either a cantilever construction or a new bridge must be built.

  The FSB believes that, with the considerable investment Stena has put into the Port at Holyhead, the company must be promoting a third crossing of the Menai Straits.

  The ferry competition that P and O have established at Mostyn, in Flintshire, will encourage Stena to make a far stronger impact on the same issue with the Government.

  The following are the FSB observations, which we feel are extremely important to the vibrant economy of the Island of Anglesey.

1.  The building of a new Bridge across the Menai Straits will, in the long term, show that the Government realises what the impact of traffic congestion will have on the free movement of British and Irish traffic, in the sustainment of economic stability.

2.  The building of a cantilever construction attached to the Britannia Bridge, for cars, leaving the three lanes across the bridge for commercial vehicles.

3.  High sided wind resisters to be installed on both sides of the Bridge, to stop the temporary closing to high sided heavy vehicles in heavy wind conditions.

4.  Maintenance work on both the Britannia and/or the Suspension Bridge, to cover a 24 period (daylight/darkness) or nights only, the work to be spread out throughout the year, with many buffers of timescale between contract work, to help businesses recover from losses.

5.  Government and Public Relation exercises to notify businesses and the general public of work related schemes for both businesses/public to adjust their day to day existence,

6.  Upgrading of the classification of the Menai Suspension Bridge, until a new Bridge is constructed or re-modelling of the Britannia Bridge, to enable the maintenance budget to have a far higher priority in the Welsh Assembly.

7.  Compensation Grants/Business Government Loans, to be made available to offset business losses, Uniform Business Rates, shortfall

8.  A greater awareness between businesses and Civil Service Departments of both the Welsh Assembly and Westminster, to determine a fairer system when major Public Works contracts are implemented.

9.  In the event that the Britannia Bridge is either re-modelled or constructed with a cantilever traffic system, that the Welsh Assembly makes funding available for the four granite lions adjacent to the railway lines to be brought to the surface of the bridge and put in prominent positions on both sides.

  The following pages are newspaper articles dated from July 1998 until April 2002, which the FSB believes strengthens their campaign.