"There we go - a perfect example!" Tony Brooks said as we watch two cars jolt to a stop inches from each other, aggressively blowing their horns before quickly speeding away. The timing is a coincidence; standing at the small intersection on Viaduct Way in Newport, which leads off in three directions, Tony and his neighbour Alison Williams had just been explaining how many close calls there had been in the past few months.
"It's like a blind spot - cars are coming from opposite directions and neither one can see the other," Alison said. "There's been so many near misses. And we are walking straight out onto that road."
Tony and Alison are just two of 19 households on Forge Mews in Bassaleg on the west side of the city who have been faced with numerous issues since Old Bassaleg Bridge, the only main route to their estate, was closed on August 6, 2021. A structural review by Newport City Council at the time found the bridge was unsafe and at risk of collapsing under its own weight, and some residents were moved to hotels and temporary accommodation. WalesOnline later revealed the bridge had only been inspected four times in 32 years. You can read more about that here.
