A CALL has been made for an update into long-awaited plans for a third bridge over the Menai Strait.

Mark Isherwood, MS for North Wales, has called for the Welsh Government to clarify its position over its pledge to build a third crossing to Anglesey by 2022.

The Welsh Government carried out a consultation in 2007 over proposals that included eight options for easing traffic congestion to and from the island, including a new bridge.

Reports had been published in 2008, 2009 and 2011 and strategic business case was submitted in 2016 which found the scheme would meet local and national needs including journey times, reliability and access for non-vehicle road users. The scheme was estimated to cost up to £154million.

Mr Isherwood raised the issue following a Senedd statement by Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change on the Roads review, which announced a pause on all new road schemes.

Mr Isherwood said: “When I raised this with the previous First Minister four years ago, in June 2017, here, I said: 'Clearly, congestion on the existing Menai and Britannia bridges has been a problem for many years. It’s a decade since a Welsh Government-commissioned report identified eight options, including a new bridge, but that didn’t go forward to delivery.

"You said last May’ – 2016 – 'that you would promise to make the third crossing your priority for North Wales if you form a Government and, of course, your Government announced before Christmas last year' - in 2016 - 'that it had appointed consultants to look at routes for a proposed new crossing to Anglesey, which could begin by 2021 if it gets the go-ahead.'

“I asked him to provide an assurance that we’re not going to have a re-run of 2007 when we had similar assurances after a commissioned report was produced for the Welsh Government and that you envisage this going ahead.

“The First Minister at the time replied: 'We have appointed Aecom to support our next phase of the development work. That will result in the announcement of a preferred route in May 2018. Our aim is to see the third Menai crossing open in 2022.'

“That was a pledge four years ago. How watertight are pledges today, or do you have something to tell us about the Menai crossing?”

In his response the Deputy Minister said: "All schemes not currently in the ground need to be reviewed, and there needs to be a set of metrics developed to decide which ones should go ahead and which ones shouldn't. In the meantime, we can reallocate some of that funding towards road maintenance and improving public transport. So, the problems that Mark Isherwood identified can be dealt with in other ways.”