A CONSULTATION to allow lorries weighing more than 18 tonnes to cross a bridge near Llanbrynmair for the first time in over 20 years, could start later this month.
On Tuesday, June 3, Cllr Jackie Charlton (Liberal Democrat) the Powys County Council cabinet member for highways transport and recycling took a delegated decision to start the legal process to make a traffic regulation order (TRO) to remove the weight restriction from Tafolwern Fawr Bridge.
This follows work to re-deck the bridge which which carries the C2175 (county road) over the Afon Laen watercourse.
A second delegated decision was also taken by Cllr Charlton which is to restrict the weight limit of vehicles to go over the nearby Bont Bach (Small) Bridge which carries the U2303 unclassified county road over the Afon Twymyn watercourse.
Bont Bach is only 70 metres to the southwest of Tafolwern Fawr Bridge.
The decisions are set to come into force on Wednesday, June 11 due to the need to allow five clear working days to pass.
This is to allows councillors the opportunity to call in the decision for scrutiny should they wish to do so.
The report said that the cost of implementing the TRO would be £9,774.
The actual cost for the order itself would be £4,774 and a further £5,000 would be needed to pay for the signs required to be put up locally to advise drivers of the changes.
The report explains that this funding would come from the council’s capital budget for “Structures Strengthening and Renewals” and finance chiefs say they “can support” the decision.
The report explains that the order was needed because: “Tafolwern Fawr Bridge has been restricted to 18 tonnes since 2001 due to inadequacy of the pier following a structural assessment.
“During the winter of 2023- 2024 the pier partially collapsed.
“In September and October 2024, works were carried out to replace the bridge deck, removing the need for a central pier and reinstating the structure to support standard highway loading.”
Back in 2013 a structural assessment of Bont Fach Bridge was done, and the bridge was deemed capable of carrying vehicles up to a maximum of 18 tonnes.
This restriction was not implemented as the weight prohibition to Tafolwern Fawr Bridge stopped vehicles getting to the smaller bridge – an alternative route was deemed to be too narrow to allow larger vehicles to get to the bridge.
But as the weight restriction on the bigger bridge is to be deleted, council highways engineers say it’s “now essential” to impose a permanent weight restriction to Bont Fach Bridge.
