Incredible £400m bridge that was supposed to link UK to pretty little island

The Isle of Anglesey is found in the north-west corner of Wales, connected to the mainland by two bridges. The pretty island draws tourists from around the world, many of whom make the journey over the Mirai Strait to get there.

Such is the demand for access that plans were drawn up to build a third crossing to ease congestion. The crossing was first proposed in 2007 and would cost an estimated £400m.

After toing and froing over the form the crossing would take, it was decided that a bridge would be built, rather than a tunnel.

That decision came in 2018 but just three years later and the plan had been paused by the Welsh government, citing climate concerns.

In February 2023, the Labour-run devolved government announced the entire project would be scrapped. As well as environmental worries, decision-makers baulked at the cost.

According to BritainRemade, advocating for the third crossing, 42,300 people use the two bridges on a daily basis.

“A new crossing has been talked about for years, but in February, the Welsh Government announced that it was scrapping all major road projects”, the group said. “This is despite their predictions that the number of vehicles using the crossing will continue to increase.

“We need the governments in Cardiff and Westminster to work together and commit to building a Third Menai Crossing.”

Welsh transport secretary Ken Skates said in March: “We have to ensure that they reflect the reality of the climate emergency that we face.

“I want Wales to be at the forefront of design and implementation of new schemes.”

“We haven’t stopped building roads, but we do need to deal with the criteria for new road building schemes which states that you can’t build them if it leads to extra capacity.

“That’s caused difficulty in terms of considering schemes, and interpretation.”