Snowdonia’s historic wobbly bridge to be replaced after council said fixing rotting timber would cost £1m – as angry villagers slam ‘terrible problem’
- Sappers Bridge has offered a direct route into Betws-y-Coed for 97 years
- Closed after its timber structures were found to be rotting in December 2021
- Conwy Council has offered locals three options to choose from in a consultation
Villagers who lost a battle to save their historic wobbly bridge have now been asked to choose its replacement instead.
Sappers Bridge, a 93-year-old suspension bridge, offers a direct route into the village of Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales.
The overpass was closed due to safety concerns back in December 2021, after its timber structures were found to be rotting.
B&Bs and tourism businesses east of the village were cut off and local people were deprived of popular walking routes, after inspectors found the steel suspension cables on the old bridge had reached the end of their lifespans.
Council chiefs had planned to carry out structural works on the bridge, but costs quickly spiraled to £1m following safety inspections, leading officials to say the bridge must be replaced.
Sappers Bridge, a 93-year-old suspension bridge, offers a direct route into the village of Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, North Wales
The overpass was closed due to safety concerns back in December 2021, after its timber structures were found to be rotting
Council chiefs had planned to carry out structural works on the bridge, but costs quickly spiraled to £1m following safety inspections
Conwy Council is now looking to include an improved river crossing in a ‘Coast to Valley’ cycle path running from Llandudno Junction to Betws-y-Coed.
The local authority has offered locals three options to choose from in a consultation.
Two of the replacement designs – option two and three – are estimated to cost £2million while the third – which most closely resembles the current suspension bridge – is estimated to cost £3million and comes with a ‘construction risk’.
Option one would see a widened replica of Sappers Bridge built over the River Conwy. This would have a 50-metre span and a 3.5-metre width.
Option two would offer a new beam bridge, 60-metre span and a 3.5-metre width, sitting upstream of Sappers Bridge, leaving the old bridge in place and potentially reassembled, if extra money can be found.
The third option presents this same beam bridge as complete replacement for the original structure.
Sappers Bridge was built in 1930 after the original wooden footbridge was washed away in a storm.
The original bridge was built on the site by the Royal Engineers to link the village with an army camp on the opposite side of the river.
Before the building of this bridge in 1917, stepping stones were the only the cross the River Conwy.
The local authority has offered locals three options to choose from in a consultation
Option one would see a widened replica of Sappers Bridge built over the River Conwy. This would have a 50-metre span and a 3.5-metre width
Option two would see a new beam bridge, 60-metre span and a 3.5-metre width, sitting upstream of Sappers Bridge
The third option sees this same beam bridge replace Sappers Bridge entirely
Structural reviews conducted last year found that virtually the entire bridge would need to be refurbished, with the entire timber deck as well as other parts replaced completely.
How stepping stones were the only way to cross the Conwy River until Sappers Bridge was built
- Before 1917, locals could only access from Betws-y-Coed from this side of the Conwy River by traversing some rather inconvenient stepping stones
- Around this time, an army camp was established in this area of Betws-y-Coed in World War I
- As a solution, a wooden bridge was installed over the River Conwy in 1917 by ‘Sappers’ or royal combat engineers.
- In the 1930s a new iron suspension bridge was built by some engineers of Westminster.
- It still retained the original name of “Sappers” bridge out of respect for the combat engineering efforts during the war
A number of locals have expressed their dissatisfaction over the options being offered for the new bridge on Facebook, with many wanting the council to spend money on repairing the original site instead.
One user wrote on the social media site: ”The original bridge is beautiful, very ornate and pleasing on the eye and it fits in with the surroundings. In simple terms it has strong historical connections to Betws. So why not carry out necessary repairs so it can continue to grace the river it now spans.’
Another said: ‘the bridge is 100 years old and it was suitable for ‘active travel’ then so why cant it be rebuilt / repaired to the same design.’
A third added: ‘From article comments ‘Or Option 4 – repair the old bridge back to the way it was, useable without all the ‘..sustainable..’ waffle?’
Conservative politician Janet Finch-Saunders MS said Conwy Council had not given the bridge the urgency it deserved.
She said: ‘This drop-in event is months behind schedule. Conwy County now has options for a solution to this terrible problem it is essential that residents take this opportunity to have a say.’
In January, the local authority was awarded more than £18m in UK Government funding to develop active travel routes in the county.
Conwy Council said: ‘Before we move ahead with a final design and a planning application, we want to bring you up to date with the work we’ve carried out so far.
‘We are sharing the designs and visualisations and asking for the views of the community on proposals for a new or replacement bridge.’
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