The Third Menai Crossing (or (A55) 3rd Menai Crossing) was a proposed bridge over the Menai Strait, connecting the Isle of Anglesey with mainland Wales. The bridge was proposed to carry the A55 as a dual carriageway, and would have superseded the current A55 Britannia Bridge.
There were proposals for a tunnel in 2001, but were deemed implausible. The first proposals for a bridge were made in 2007 and with a preferred route for the bridge being selected in 2018.
The crossing was projected to cost £400 million and take seven years to build. While no exact bridge design had been confirmed, a third-party suggested it be held up by statues of Bendigeidfran.
In June 2021, the Welsh Government indefinitely paused the proposal's progress as part of a review of road building projects over concerns of climate change emissions. In December 2022, the government had set 2030 as a "likely" date for the bridge's completion but did not formally commit whether the project would go ahead.
On 14 February 2023, the Welsh Government announced the entire project would not go ahead, citing efforts to reduce car usage, its environmental impact and it being a "blot" on the landscape. The "Menai Corridor" public transport strategy review is to be set up to replace plans for the formerly proposed crossing, with recommendations to be presented by the North Wales Transport Commission by mid-2023. Issues with financing the project was later stated by the government as another reason why the project could not proceed. Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change, later stated the crossing could be considered again as part of a wider review into the infrastructure of North Wales, rather than individually.
Background
There are currently two crossings over the Menai Strait, the Menai Suspension Bridge and Britannia Bridge, carrying the A5, and the A55 and North Wales Coast Line respectively. The A5 Menai Bridge is both height and width restrictive, whereas the Britannia Bridge is the only part of the A55 dual carriageway where it is a single carriageway (1 lane either way compared to 2 lanes on the rest of the route) and was originally only for rail traffic, until a rebuilding in the 20th century opening it for road traffic.
In 2001, a tunnel was proposed to be built under the strait connecting a site near Gaerwen on Anglesey, and a site near Bangor, on the mainland. It was not considered due to its lack of plausibility as there was a geological fault present in the strait and the costs of a tunnel were excessive.
A later solution proposed was to convert the Britannia Bridge into three-lanes, with one of the lanes alternating direction depending on rush-hour priority during the day. The proposal was unconvincing to road planners, who described the bridge as being too narrow and traffic approached the bridge at high speed. But the initial feasibility study had proved positive for a three-lane Britannia Bridge, and is continuously brought up as a short-term solution to relieve congestion on the crossings.
In 2007, a public consultation on the crossings first proposed a third crossing, and it presented four/five options to address traffic over the strait. The four options, (or five if including no new bridge as an option) were:
Build no new bridge, as either "do nothing"; or simply increase connectivity between A55 and A5 (to the Menai Bridge). Widen existing Britannia Bridge Build a new multi-span bridge east of the existing Britannia Bridge Build a new long-span bridge east of the existing Britannia Bridge Build a bridge to the west of the existing Britannia Bridge.
All options aside "do nothing", also involved improvements to A55 Junction 9 and 8A, and for some eastern bridges junction 8.
During the public consultation the Welsh government stated its objectives for the proposed crossing. To improve journey times and journey reliability between A55 Junction 7 and 10, improve network resillience by providing an alternative bridge during maintenance and emergencies, improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, and promote safer trips over the strait. 70 per cent of the respondents to the consultation supported a new bridge.
Following 2011 plans for a Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on Anglesey, concerns over increased construction road traffic for the new power station on the two existing bridges were raised. With a third crossing called as a potential solution. Plans for the power station were paused in 2019, potentially impacting the case for the crossing.
In 2013, the Welsh Government announced the project would be back on their agenda.