After several years and £46 million worth of development, Machynlleth’s new Dyfi bridge is scheduled to open this week.

On Friday, February 2, the new Dyfi Bridge, which will compose a new section of the A487 to the north of Machynlleth, will be open to traffic and pedestrians.

While the bridge is still scheduled to officially open with a formal ceremony in spring 2024, public access to the bridge will be open to allow a road closure along a stretch of the A493 in front of Dyfi Cottages.

The Welsh Government funded project was faced with numerous delays over the course of its build. When construction began in 2021, the project was scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2023, only to be pushed back to the summer as a result of supply chain issues. In May, the project was pushed back again to autumn 2023, before finally crossing the finish line in early 2024.

The opening comes with some drainage works related to the bridge still underway, hence why a stretch of the A493 will be closed from February 10, to allow for drainage works for the new bridge.

The bridge is intended to make it easier to cross the River Dyfi, and to access jobs, healthcare and schools in Machynlleth, as well as replace the old Dyfi Bridge, which the Welsh Government described as “not designed to carry the current volume of traffic” and was frequently closed by seasonal flooding.

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Alan Griffiths Ltd carried out the construction on behalf of the Welsh Government, who will also be carrying out the drainage works along the A493, which is expected to last no longer than 30 days.

In January 2024, a 5k run saw over 600 people become the first pedestrians to cross the 725m viaduct, organised by Bro Ddyfi Appeal Committee for the Urdd Eisteddfod Maldwyn 2024 and Machynlleth Rotary Club.

Pupils from the nearby Bro Hyddgen Primary School were also among the first people to walk across the newly completed Dyfi Bridge as part of a special tour of the structure.