A grade II listed concrete bridge badly damaged by Storm Dennis in 2020 will open in time for a major Welsh poetry and music festival in August.
White Bridge (also known as Berw Road Bridge) in Pontypridd has been under repair since 2021, with the main scheme starting in summer 2022.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCTC) oversaw the complex restoration of the concrete bridge, supported by Cadw, the government body that protects Wales’s historic structures. The work involved several hundred concrete and structural steelwork repairs, deck waterproofing and replacement of the drainage system.
Berw Road Bridge, Pontypridd, Wales, is near the end of a complex restoration. Credit: RCTC
Repainting completed early this month means the bridge is now bright white again. The restoration work includes the installation of an illuminated handrail, and new street lighting. A nearby street will also be resurfaced in the second half of the month, and once that work is finished, RCTC will open the bridge to two-way traffic again.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of RCTC, said: “It’s pleasing that the scheme is due to be completed ahead of the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd from August 3-10, which will help with local traffic arrangements.”
The bridge was built in 1907 and the river span of 35m was at the time of building the longest reinforced concrete arch in Britain.
