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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Steve Bagnall & Dominic Picksley & Branwen Jones

Serious crash sees major bridge closed for hours

The Britannia Bridge in north Wales was closed on Tuesday following a serious collision. North Wales Live has reported that the A55 eastbound by the bridge, which links Anglesey with the mainland, was closed "for some time".

Eastbound traffic was diverted to the A5 Menai Suspension Bridge. The road had been closed eastbound from junction 8, the Ael y Bowl interchange, to Britannia Bridge, on Anglesey.

At around 12.17pm on Tuesday, North Wales Police confirmed that the A55 had since been reopened. In a post shared on their Twitter page, the police force said: "The A55 Eastbound in the area of Britannia Bridge has now reopened.

Read more: Live updates after crowds riot in Ely, Cardiff, in wake of serious crash that killed two people

"Expect traffic to remain busy for some time whilst HGVs are released from the Island. Many thanks for your patience and understanding whilst emergency services were in attendance."

According to traffic monitoring service, Inrix, there was queueing traffic due to recovery work from J8 A5025 from Llanfairpwll to J8A A5 Holyhead Road, also in Llanfairpwll. There was also said to be congestion to J7 in Gaerwen, with delays on the diversion route along the A5 Holyhead Road, the A5025 Pentraeth Road and other routes through Menai Bridge.

Inrix also noted that although diversions were in place via Menai Bridge, these diversions were not suitable for lorries. In response, the Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said that the incident demonstrated the need for good transport links.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Plaid Cymru politician said: "My first thoughts are of course with those involved in the accident, and I hope that no-one is badly injured.

"This incident unfortunately demonstrates yet again why having good transport links are vital – for safety, and for connectivity. I’m hearing of large lorries crossing the Menai suspension bridge despite the 7.5t weight limit again today despite the ‘stacking’ protocol, trains being delayed – including my own which was cancelled early this morning, and more worryingly – I’m also being told of concerned school children, stuck in traffic as they try to reach school on time for their exams. It’s a situation that we must try and avoid for future, and that’s why I’m clear that we need an additional crossing.

"We have to ensure that our crossing is resilient, and today goes to show once again that that is not currently the case. I’ll be looking to raise these concerns directly with Welsh Government as soon as possible."

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