Repairs to the Cefn Bridge on the A458 near Trewern will go ahead in June after local politicians said the delays to the repairs were “unacceptable”.

The Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, and the County Councillor for Trewern, Buttington and Middletown, Amanda Jenner, expressed concerns over the delays to the repairs since an accident which occurred in December.

Two lorries were involved in the crash on Cefn Bridge on December 18, 2018. Photographs from the County Times showed a lorry hanging over the edge of the bridge, with the drivers sustaining minor injuries.

Both the railway, the Aberystwyth/Shrewsbury line, and road, A458, were temporarily closed.

The day after the incident happened, Traffic Wales said: “Temporary traffic signals are likely to be in place for a considerable period of time.” These traffic lights are still in place, four months later.

This week, on Tuesday, April 30, Mr George asked for the First Minister to intervene and liaise with Network Rail to ensure that the safety concerns of operating on a live railway track are resolved so that permanent repairs to the A458 can take place.

Commenting on the news that a date has now been fixed for the permanent repairs to begin, Mr George said: “I was delighted that the First Minister was able to respond positively to my question, and announce that permanent repairs are going to take place to the Cefn Bridge near Trewern between Friday, June 7 and Sunday, June 9.

"The lengthy delays have been frustrating for not only the many local people that use this road on a regular basis but the thousands of holiday-makers who use this main thoroughfare to travel to and from Mid Wales from the Midlands and elsewhere.

"I would of course have liked works to begin earlier, as we have two bank holiday weekends in May, but it does appear as though the First Minister’s intervention has focussed the attention of Network Rail and the North Wales Trunk Road Agency for which I am grateful.

“Now that we have a date, we look forward to things getting back to normal and I must pay tribute to the way in which the County Councillor for Trewern, Amanda Jenner, and the local Community Council have engaged with me on this issue to expedite a resolution to this matter which has caused so much disruption over recent months.”

Commenting on the delays, Mr George had said: “It’s so frustrating, for the many people that use this road on a regular basis, that we have been waiting far too long for the necessary repairs to the Cefn Bridge to be completed."

Cllr Amanda Jenner added: “The community council and I have been raising concerns with the Trunk Road Agency since early in the year when it became apparent that repair works would not commence for some time.

“Residents are understandably frustrated with the delay and worried about the bank holiday periods. I have continued to highlight how congested this stretch could become and requested measures to alleviate this.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said that a replacement parapet has been ordered from the specialist supplier and an order has been placed for its installation.

“I can also confirm that our North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA) has been instructed to prioritise delivery of this scheme, to ensure the trunk road is returned to being fully operational as soon as possible. In the interim NMWTRA will monitor any concerns relating to traffic congestion (they were manually operated at key periods over the Easter weekend).

“Once the repairs are complete the temporary traffic lights will be removed.”

Sam Hadley, senior public affairs manager for Network Rail, said: “We are in contact with Russell over this issue, which we know is important to local residents and road users. We are working with Powys Country Council as they plan their repairs to the bridge and we are doing everything we can help facilitate this work.”