Latest news with #StormChristoph
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Plans to rebuild Llanerch Bridge scrapped despite £1.5m spent
The cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) considered a report on rebuilding Llanerch Bridge after the original structure was destroyed during Storm Christoph in January 2021, when the River Clwyd burst its banks. Council officers warned that if they drilled into the riverbed, it could contaminate a water supply to 85,000 homes. That's because the old bridge was above a vital freshwater aquifer that Dwr Cymru Welsh Water use to supply drinking water to residents. Councillors heard how drilling into sandstone layers could create fissures, contaminating the lake. MORE: Rhyl man 'who just wanted to get home from Chester' fined for drunken abuse Paul Jacksons, the council's head of highways and environmental services. said: 'There's not been a design solution that has been found that completely removes the risk to that water asset. 'Therefore, the detailed design stage has concluded that it is not possible to construct a new bridge without the required foundations penetrating the weathered section of sandstone and putting a potential fissure in the aquifer, and again, interrupting that water supply. 'Welsh Water has stated that drilling into the aquifer would ultimately create a pathway for the risk of the water supply being contaminated, and that could lead to several factors, including risk and safeguarding their customers. 'It is a public health risk, and Welsh Water has stated that should the risk come to fruition, rectifying the issues created by drilling into the ground would be far from straightforward and extremely costly to resolve. It may not even be feasible to repair if we drill a physical pathway into the aquifer.' MORE: Rhyl mum and daughter create detailed post box topper in tribute to Mike Peters He added: 'They consider this to be extremely high risk, and they would suggest we don't go ahead with this project.' Mr Jackson said every design possible had been considered. Last week, backbench councillors Chris Evans and James Elson argued about the inconvenience and extra cost to residents, raising the solution of a temporary bridge. The pair said not building a bridge drastically affected the lives of residents in Tremeirchion, Rhuallt, Bodfari, Cwm, as well as those in Trefnant, Denbigh, Henllan, and Ruthin, particularly with the rise in the cost of fuel. £1.5 million of Welsh Government funds has already been spent on the design work of the project. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Alan James also raised the matter of building a temporary bridge. But Mr Jackson said a temporary bridge would still require the same foundations, so the risk would remain, arguing the proposal was unfeasible. Leader Cllr Jason McLellan warned the cabinet: 'If we go ahead and start construction, knowing the risk to the damage to the aquifer, we essentially owe a duty of care to Welsh Water's customers that their water supply won't be affected, and quite clearly the advice is that it might be, so that chain of events would mean that we would be negligent and liable. 'We haven't got insurance, so we wouldn't be able to go through the insurance route. We would be liable, and it could potentially be millions. You think what the number of days without water looks like, without the ability to run a tap, boil the kettle, flush your toilet, have a shower. What does that look like for 85,000 homes after two days, three days, four days a week. Our liability would be off the scale.' Mr Jackson said the council would improve the road network, with £950,000 already secured from Welsh Government to upgrade 'alterative routes' and the diversion to make it 'more pleasurable for commuters'. But Cllr James Elson said the council had promised the residents a bridge. 'We must deliver on that promise,' he said. He added there must be a solution such as a single-track bridge or a temporary 'pre-fabricated' bridge set on benches without drilling. He said the cost of such a bridge would be less than the £1.5m Denbighshire had already spent, claiming he had been given a quote by a construction company two years ago. Mr Jackson reiterated a temporary bridge wasn't possible, explaining a bridge without foundations could present a danger to 'life and limb' during a flood. Cllr Chris Evans then echoed Cllr Elson's comments. 'There has been very little engagement from Denbighshire Council, which has had a detriment to this project,' he said. 'This again has had a massive impact on residents, feeling the bridge is not going to get built. It has been gone for four-odd years, and we have spent, or Welsh Government have spent, £1.5m to get to a set of drawings. I think that issue alone needs to be taken to the audit and governance committee.' Cllr Evans then claimed that a local building contractor had indicated to him a bridge was possible. 'We have not looked with conviction at the temporary bridge,' he said. 'I don't mean to be disrespectful, but Jones Brothers builds motorways. He is the person that does the job. He is the knowledgeable chap that has looked at that.' He added: 'The residents want a crossing.' Cllr Evans added residents and businesses were suffering and children couldn't get to school. He asked the cabinet to defer the decision so the matter could go to full council. But Cllr McLellan said that would put Denbighshire in the 'line of fire' for future litigation. Corporate director Tony Ward said officers couldn't win, having been criticised for spending £1.5m on designs, with it also being suggested they hadn't done enough. Cllr Gwyneth Ellis questioned whether a smaller bridge would need the same foundations, but Mr Jackson explained the foundations needed were due to the water pressure, not the weight on any bridge. The cabinet voted unanimously in favour of ceasing work on the project.
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- General
- Rhyl Journal
'Very weak excuse' to scrap Llanerch Bridge says expert
At a cabinet meeting this week, Denbighshire Council voted to abandon plans to replace Llanerch Bridge, which was destroyed during Storm Christoph in 2021 when the River Clwyd burst its banks. Council officers warned cabinet members that drilling into the riverbed could contaminate a water supply to 85,000 homes and that if the council persisted with the bridge, the authority could be liable for millions of pounds. The decision caused controversy in the chamber as the council had promised residents the bridge, which would reconnect Trefnant and Tremeirchion, before Welsh Water raised concerns about the contamination of a freshwater aquifer. The council spent £1.5m of Welsh Government funds designing the new bridge. Now, retired civil engineer David Evans, from Caersws, says he doesn't believe the council is correct in cancelling its plans to build a new bridge. Mr Evans said he worked in a number of different roles in piling in civil engineering, including the design, management, and tendering processes, working with several notable specialist companies such as Cementation and Expanded Piling Ltd. 'I am a retired civil engineer, now living in mid-Wales, and in all my 35 years within the piling industry, working with major piling contractors covering the UK, with experience of many types of bored piling for bridges, multi-storey buildings etc, this is a very weak excuse for not building a much-needed bridge,' he said. 'Contamination of an aquifer has never been a discussion point in the industry, and given bored piles founded in sandstone, migration of water will just not happen, as the piles are concreted almost immediately. 'Most modern bridges require piled foundations to take out the sheer forces from breaking, but also provide a fixing in more competent strata to avoid erosion and improve scour protection from flooding.' He added: 'The county council would be well advised to approach piling contractors and competent geotechnical engineering companies to confirm my views, providing them with the site investigation report.' Mr Evans' opinion mirrors that of Cllr James Elson. Cllr Elson told council officers at the cabinet meeting that local contractors, who'd worked on the A55, maintained a temporary bridge lasting 10 years could be built. Tremeirchion councillor Chris Evans told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was 'disappointed' in the cabinet decision. Cllr Evans speculated what might happen if other bridges, such as Pont y Cambwll or an A55 flyover bridge at St Asaph or Rhuallt, were compromised or needed foundation repairs. 'If Pont y Cambwll was taken (by bad weather or flooding), are we going to be in the same predicament?' he said. 'Residents have come to me and said bridges over the A55 are over that aquifer. 'What would happen if one of those bridges were damaged or the footings needed addressing? 'I'm disappointed by it. I understand Denbighshire's concerns. 'But we need a positive outcome of this for the residents. They have known about the aquifer from day dot, so why have we persisted with £1.5m of public money. I think audit and governance need to look at this. That's a lot of money.' A Denbighshire Council spokesperson said: 'Denbighshire County Council has worked through an entire optioneering and design consultation phase with Balfour Beatty over several years which included comprehensive ground surveys, geological studies of the location, erosive flow of the river, and physical constraints of the area. 'It was always the desire and intention of the Council to replace the bridge and as such £1.5m of direct Welsh Government funding was spent to ensure a robust process could be conducted to outline options and fully assess these options against the associated risks and issues from a design and construction perspective. 'Unfortunately, no design option could be found that completely eliminated the risk of damage to the freshwater aquifer and the drinking water supply to 85,000 properties in the North Wales area both during and after construction activity. 'Any form of bridge design whether temporary or permanent required foundations installed to a minimum depth in order to support the structure during periods of flooding or heavier river flow. 'Failure to install such foundations would present a risk of the structure collapsing and potentially presents a danger to life if it were to collapse during such times. 'As such, in cooperation with Dŵr Cymru, it was agreed to recommend ceasing the bridge building project in order to safeguard this water supply, a decision that was ratified by Cabinet this week. 'The Council is unable to comment on the views of external third parties who have not been involved in the design process. 'It is intended that DCC representatives will hold a public meeting with the local community groups to fully explain this decision and discuss their concerns.'
Wales Online
5 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Council's 'very weak excuse' for not rebuilding collapsed bridge
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A retired civil engineer has joined the ranks of dissatisfied councillors angry that plans for a 'much-needed' bridge have been scrapped. At a cabinet meeting this week, Denbighshire Council voted to abandon plans to replace Llanerch Bridge, which was destroyed during Storm Christoph in 2021 when the River Clwyd burst its banks. Council officers warned cabinet members that drilling into the riverbed could contaminate a water supply to 85,000 homes and that if the council persisted with the bridge, the authority could be liable for millions of pounds. The decision caused controversy in the chamber as the council had promised residents the bridge, which would reconnect Trefnant and Tremeirchion, before Welsh Water raised concerns about the contamination of a freshwater aquifer. The council spent £1.5m of Welsh Government funds designing the new bridge. Now, retired civil engineer David Evans, from Caersws, says he doesn't believe the council is correct in cancelling its plans to build a new bridge. Mr Evans said he worked in a number of different roles in piling in civil engineering, including the design, management, and tendering processes, working with several notable specialist companies such as Cementation and Expanded Piling Ltd. Sign up for the North Wales Live newslettersent twice daily to your inbox. 'I am a retired civil engineer, now living in mid-Wales, and in all my 35 years within the piling industry, working with major piling contractors covering the UK, with experience of many types of bored piling for bridges, multi-storey buildings etc, this is a very weak excuse for not building a much-needed bridge,' he said. 'Contamination of an aquifer has never been a discussion point in the industry, and given bored piles founded in sandstone, migration of water will just not happen, as the piles are concreted almost immediately. 'Most modern bridges require piled foundations to take out the sheer forces from breaking, but also provide a fixing in more competent strata to avoid erosion and improve scour protection from flooding.' He added: 'The county council would be well advised to approach piling contractors and competent geotechnical engineering companies to confirm my views, providing them with the site investigation report.' Mr Evans' opinion mirrors that of Cllr James Elson. Cllr Elson told council officers at the cabinet meeting that local contractors, who'd worked on the A55, maintained a temporary bridge lasting 10 years could be built. Tremeirchion councillor Chris Evans told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was 'disappointed' in the cabinet decision. Cllr Evans speculated what might happen if other bridges, such as Pont y Cambwll or an A55 flyover bridge at St Asaph or Rhuallt, were compromised or needed foundation repairs. 'If Pont y Cambwll was taken (by bad weather or flooding), are we going to be in the same predicament?' he said. 'Residents have come to me and said bridges over the A55 are over that aquifer. What would happen if one of those bridges were damaged or the footings needed addressing? 'I'm disappointed by it. I understand Denbighshire's concerns. But we need a positive outcome of this for the residents. They have known about the aquifer from day dot, so why have we persisted with £1.5m of public money. I think audit and governance need to look at this. That's a lot of money.' A Denbighshire Council spokesperson said: "Denbighshire County Council has worked through an entire optioneering and design consultation phase with Balfour Beatty over several years which included comprehensive ground surveys, geological studies of the location, erosive flow of the river, and physical constraints of the area. It was always the desire and intention of the Council to replace the bridge and as such £1.5m of direct Welsh Government funding was spent to ensure a robust process could be conducted to outline options and fully assess these options against the associated risks and issues from a design and construction perspective. "Unfortunately, no design option could be found that completely eliminated the risk of damage to the freshwater aquifer and the drinking water supply to 85,000 properties in the North Wales area both during and after construction activity. Any form of bridge design whether temporary or permanent required foundations installed to a minimum depth in order to support the structure during periods of flooding or heavier river flow. "Failure to install such foundations would present a risk of the structure collapsing and potentially presents a danger to life if it were to collapse during such times. As such, in cooperation with Dŵr Cymru, it was agreed to recommend ceasing the bridge building project in order to safeguard this water supply, a decision that was ratified by Cabinet this week. "The Council is unable to comment on the views of external third parties who have not been involved in the design process. It is intended that DCC representatives will hold a public meeting with the local community groups to fully explain this decision and discuss their concerns." Public notices in your area
North Wales Live
5 days ago
- General
- North Wales Live
Council's 'very weak excuse' for not rebuilding collapsed bridge
A retired civil engineer has joined the ranks of dissatisfied councillors angry that plans for a 'much-needed' bridge have been scrapped. At a cabinet meeting this week, Denbighshire Council voted to abandon plans to replace Llanerch Bridge, which was destroyed during Storm Christoph in 2021 when the River Clwyd burst its banks. Council officers warned cabinet members that drilling into the riverbed could contaminate a water supply to 85,000 homes and that if the council persisted with the bridge, the authority could be liable for millions of pounds. The decision caused controversy in the chamber as the council had promised residents the bridge, which would reconnect Trefnant and Tremeirchion, before Welsh Water raised concerns about the contamination of a freshwater aquifer. The council spent £1.5m of Welsh Government funds designing the new bridge. Now, retired civil engineer David Evans, from Caersws, says he doesn't believe the council is correct in cancelling its plans to build a new bridge. Mr Evans said he worked in a number of different roles in piling in civil engineering, including the design, management, and tendering processes, working with several notable specialist companies such as Cementation and Expanded Piling Ltd. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. 'I am a retired civil engineer, now living in mid-Wales, and in all my 35 years within the piling industry, working with major piling contractors covering the UK, with experience of many types of bored piling for bridges, multi-storey buildings etc, this is a very weak excuse for not building a much-needed bridge,' he said. 'Contamination of an aquifer has never been a discussion point in the industry, and given bored piles founded in sandstone, migration of water will just not happen, as the piles are concreted almost immediately. 'Most modern bridges require piled foundations to take out the sheer forces from breaking, but also provide a fixing in more competent strata to avoid erosion and improve scour protection from flooding.' He added: 'The county council would be well advised to approach piling contractors and competent geotechnical engineering companies to confirm my views, providing them with the site investigation report.' Mr Evans' opinion mirrors that of Cllr James Elson. Cllr Elson told council officers at the cabinet meeting that local contractors, who'd worked on the A55, maintained a temporary bridge lasting 10 years could be built. Tremeirchion councillor Chris Evans told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he was 'disappointed' in the cabinet decision. Cllr Evans speculated what might happen if other bridges, such as Pont y Cambwll or an A55 flyover bridge at St Asaph or Rhuallt, were compromised or needed foundation repairs. 'If Pont y Cambwll was taken (by bad weather or flooding), are we going to be in the same predicament?' he said. 'Residents have come to me and said bridges over the A55 are over that aquifer. What would happen if one of those bridges were damaged or the footings needed addressing? 'I'm disappointed by it. I understand Denbighshire's concerns. But we need a positive outcome of this for the residents. They have known about the aquifer from day dot, so why have we persisted with £1.5m of public money. I think audit and governance need to look at this. That's a lot of money.' A Denbighshire Council spokesperson said: "Denbighshire County Council has worked through an entire optioneering and design consultation phase with Balfour Beatty over several years which included comprehensive ground surveys, geological studies of the location, erosive flow of the river, and physical constraints of the area. It was always the desire and intention of the Council to replace the bridge and as such £1.5m of direct Welsh Government funding was spent to ensure a robust process could be conducted to outline options and fully assess these options against the associated risks and issues from a design and construction perspective. "Unfortunately, no design option could be found that completely eliminated the risk of damage to the freshwater aquifer and the drinking water supply to 85,000 properties in the North Wales area both during and after construction activity. Any form of bridge design whether temporary or permanent required foundations installed to a minimum depth in order to support the structure during periods of flooding or heavier river flow. "Failure to install such foundations would present a risk of the structure collapsing and potentially presents a danger to life if it were to collapse during such times. As such, in cooperation with Dŵr Cymru, it was agreed to recommend ceasing the bridge building project in order to safeguard this water supply, a decision that was ratified by Cabinet this week. "The Council is unable to comment on the views of external third parties who have not been involved in the design process. It is intended that DCC representatives will hold a public meeting with the local community groups to fully explain this decision and discuss their concerns." Public notices in your area
Wales Online
6 days ago
- General
- Wales Online
Not replacing 200-year-old bridge destroyed by storm branded 'easy cop out'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info North Wales Live readers have been voicing their opinions on the recent suspension of a bridge reconstruction project in North Wales, expressing both frustration and scepticism. The original bridge had been a community staple for over two centuries until it was carried away, and now, the plans to erect a new one have come to a halt. Denbighshire County Council's cabinet decided this week to drop the proposal to replace Llanerch Bridge, which succumbed to Storm Christoph in 2021 after the River Clwyd overflowed. Council officials cautioned that drilling into the riverbed might risk polluting the water supply for 85,000 households. This is due to the location of the former bridge, between Trefnant and Tremeirchion, situated above an essential freshwater aquifer utilised by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water to provide drinking water to locals. Councillors were informed about the potential hazards of drilling into sandstone layers, which could lead to fissures and contaminate the water source. Paul Jackson, the council's head of highways and environmental services, remarked: "There's not been a design solution that has been found that completely removes the risk to that water asset." "Therefore, the detailed design stage has concluded that it is not possible to construct a new bridge without the required foundations penetrating the weathered section of sandstone and putting a potential fissure in the aquifer, and again, interrupting that water supply." One reader, Avanice writes: "The original bridge seemed to last for a few hundred years without drilling but modern man's expertise in bridge building can't design a bridge without it! The Councillors are being fed a line of bulls manure. Get the 1.5 wasted million back and give it to Army's Royal Engineers for their bridge design. The RGB would appear to fill the need and at a pinch (or 1.5 million), it could have been done within 24hours! It might not look pretty but it works!" Statistix questions: "Notice how many times the word 'risk' is used. Unfortunately we live in an age where 'risk' is the lid on a box that no one dares open 'just in case' something happens, and it has now become the excuse for 'can't do' when it used to be the challenge for 'let's see how to do'. How else did our ancestors get us to where we are today?" Flintshire adds: "Long winded way of saying that we're not building one because we're broke!" Cannonballdaze ask: "How about a walking and cycling bridge instead?" Wonkeye1 answers: "The article explains that it's not the weight of the bridge it's the water pressure. They discussed having a footbridge in the meeting." Steamnut says: "If the original bridge did well enough for 200 years so why not rebuild it as it was? How does the seven mile detour sit with the ECO campaigners? "If we were at war the army would drop a Bailey bridge over it in less than 34 hours. I think the Council will use any excuse not to spend the money and the Welsh Water problem was just what they were looking for. "And yet the same Welsh Water are happy to tip sewage into our rivers? There is just a possible problem 'could contaminate' with the ground water and that would not be for long I'm sure. That 'contamination', creating by drilling, would only be mud, sand and grit. That is not going to harm our health as much as raw sewage is it?" Mrrogerdodger writes: "This is absolutely hilarious - there is zero need to drill down into the riverbed - an A-Level Physics student could demonstrate this with a lego model! Whoever Denbighshire Council engaged with to produce these 'impossible' designs must be laughing all the way to the bank. If the proposals came from internal, please check, double-check and triple-check their qualifications! Unbelievable." Dave selwood replies: "Obviously they don't want to spend as the council do what whatever they want usually." TerryTruck believes: "Well, that was an easy cop out for DCC, I'm sure they had their fingers crossed that this would be the outcome that they so desired." Do you believe that not replacing Llanerch Bridge is the only option available? Comments below or HERE to join in the conversation.
