Bridge closes to replace creaking timbers caused by speeding drivers
The owners of an iconic bridge in Snowdonia have pleaded with motorists to slow down as speeding vehicles are damaging the timbers.
The 19th century Penmaenpool Toll Bridge in Eryri is currently closed for repairs.
The Grade II listed bridge that has spanned Mawddach Estuary for over 140 years was shut on Tuesday.
Announcing the closure, operators of the toll bridge, which took ownership of the bridge in April, said the bridge would be closed to all traffic, pedestrians and cyclists from 9.30am on Tuesday.
The bridge operators said they were "in the process of replacing weak timbers underneath", which they attributed to excessive speed over the bridge, which has a 5mph speed limit.
Posting a picture of the timbers to Facebook, the operators of Penmaenpool Toll Bridge said: "This is also why we ask to always keep to 5mph. You can’t see the effect speed has on the underside of the timbers. Still too many drivers speeding over the bridge."
They added that the bridge is set to reopen on November 8 "depending on the weather gods and what we find", but urged people to "not attempt to cross, or climb over gates at Barmouth end as it’s unlikely you will be able to pass, once we start lifting the sleepers."
