The new Menai crossing is intended to alleviate traffic on the two existing bridges over the Menai Strait. The Menai Bridge, built by Thomas Telford in the 1820s and Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge suffer from heavy congestion. The Britannia Bridge is also the only section of the A55 that is not dual carriageway and can be a significant bottleneck for traffic along the route, which links the M53 with Holyhead Port and is part of the Trans European Road network.
The aim of the scheme is to improve capacity, reliability and journey times along the route, as well as improve network resilience and opportunities for non-motorised users and safety.
AECOM will deliver a range of services, including bridge and highway engineering, transport planning, traffic modelling and environmental and ecology consultancy services. It will also carry out a review of the potential impact of the proposed scheme on the two historic bridges to develop a design that minimises impact on the environment and is sympathetic to the existing crossings. AECOM will work with its sub-consultants Knight Architects and Ruthin-based environmental consultancy Richards, Moorehead & Laing.