THERE is a “vital need” for a third crossing over the Menai to safeguard “Anglesey’s socio-economic future” and the wider North Wales region. That is the conclusion of an Anglesey County Council report on the resilience of the Menai crossings.
The issue is due to be discussed at a meeting of the island council’s executive on Tuesday, July 21.
Calls are again being made for a third crossing connecting Anglesey with the mainland.
It follows years of misery for residents on both sides of the Menai Strait who have endured traffic congestion and delays.
Among the meeting recommendations is to raise the profile for the case for a third crossing, with public and private sector stakeholders.
It also includes calls for a meeting with government Ministers to discuss a “collaborative approach” and to propose a timetable for the next steps and progress.
The draft case for a Third Menai Crossing quoted Deputy Minister for Transport, Mark Hooper MS, Written Statement who stated: “People in Ynys Môn and across north Wales have been let down for too long when it comes to the resilience of the Menai crossings.”
The council paper highlighted the” negative impacts” from the sudden closure of the Menai Bridge in October, 2022 which it said “cannot be underestimated”.
It also noted issues during the Eisteddfod yr Urdd week when the Menai Bridge was forced to close three or four times in 24 hrs due to overweight vehicles crossing.
The report said: “What should have been a celebration of Welsh language, arts and culture and the island in itself, was partially overshadowed by the chaos caused by the closure of the Menai Bridge.”
There has not been a new bridge built across the Menai Strait since 1850. The Menai Bridge was originally completed in 1826, making it 200 years’ old this year. The Britannia Bridge was completed in 1850, albeit some of it was rebuilt after a fire in the 1970s.
“The Green Book (2026) advises a project life cycle of 60 years for infrastructure projects – this means that the Menai Bridge has already been operating for 3.3 times its anticipated life cycle (and that is the expected life cycle for a bridge that opens now with modern design and technology),” the report said. “The long-term solution is a third crossing of the Menai Strait. The case for this has already been made by Welsh Government through previous studies which in 2016 concluded that to “do nothing” was not an option. In the intervening 10 years, the situation has worsened.”
The council welcomed the announcement made by Welsh Government on June 9, 2026 that “looking at the longer term, we will now start looking at detailed options for a third Menai crossing”.
“The ongoing congestion and lack of resilience is severely limiting and having a profound negative impact on social, economic, educational, health and cultural connections to and from the rest of the country.
“It is also hampering the island’s ability to attract the businesses and economic activity it needs to reduce a cycle of job losses, lower on-island employment and increasing reliance on off-island jobs.
“Tourism is an important sector to the Anglesey economy, repeated closures including short notice closures and the issues it causes negatively affects the attractiveness of Anglesey as a tourist destination,” the report said.
A third crossing was vital not just for Anglesey, but for the “socio-economic future” of North Wales and for UK-wide “international connectivity” with the wider European market.
