A494 River Dee Bridge replacement scheme: consultation document

We are working on proposals to replace the A494 River Dee Bridge. We are doing this as the condition of the bridge has deteriorated.

We have reviewed a number of options to replace the bridge and have identified a best performing option which we are seeking your feedback on.

The A494 River Dee Bridge provides a vital connection for cross-border traffic between north Wales, the north-west of England and beyond, connecting people, communities and businesses.

The bridge carries approximately 68,400 vehicles per day (average seven-day daily flow based on 2024 count data). This volume of traffic means that closure of the bridge to replace its deteriorated parts would cause severe disruption for people travelling in the area and adversely impact the economy in north Wales.

The need for a new bridge is driven by the poor structural condition of the existing bridge deck. Inspections and monitoring to date have concluded that the frequency of repairs and the risk of major repair and intervention requiring the closure of the bridge is growing year-on-year.

In 2018, we undertook an appraisal that looked at options to replace the A494 River Dee Bridge. Following Welsh Government’s response to the Roads Review in February 2023 we have reviewed the Scheme Transport Planning Objectives to align with the new four road building tests.

The Scheme was re-appraised using the updated Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) published in February 2024. Through our understanding of the current issues and future challenges, we identified five potential options which aim to deliver the Scheme objectives.

We are now consulting on the best performing option arising from this assessment, as well as other shortlisted options we considered.

We assessed a range of options as part of this stage of WelTAG. The best performing was Option E and consists of constructing a new bridge to carry two lanes of eastbound and westbound traffic and a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians.

The new bridge would be located southeast of the existing A494 River Dee Bridge. Construction works are proposed to take place away from the existing highway (offline) to allow the road to remain open during the majority of construction.

Other key features include:

• Improvements to the existing A494 to the east of where the road passes under the North Wales Coast Railway Line. This would include introducing a new hard shoulder in each direction connecting to the existing hard shoulders to the east of the River Dee, alignment improvements and sustainable drainage systems
• A new access/exit to leave the A494 towards the Riverside area just past the river crossing. Road users will also be able to join the A494 from the same junction, turning left towards Queensferry.
• Up to 3km of new and improved walking and cycling routes, connecting to the Wales Coast Path, National Cycle Network Route 568, Queensferry and Garden City.
• Diversion of the ‘the Queensferry Drain’ (a Natural Resources Wales main river), which is situated on the southeast side of the A494 and currently flows in a culvert beneath it, west of the North Wales Coast Railway Line and in open channel east of the railway line. New sections of open channel would be provided either side of the railway with a section of existing culvert beneath the railway line being retained.
• A new drainage outfall to the River Dee would be created and a new Queensferry Drain Pumping Station facility provided to the west of the River Dee.
• Environmental mitigation and biodiversity enhancement works including wildflower verges, swales, native woodland plantations and amenity grassland.

More information on the best performing option is available on the consultation page.

Whilst Option E is the best performing option, we would also welcome your views and comments on the other options we considered:

Option B

New twin structure River Dee Bridge plus active travel link within existing rail underbridge.

• This would replace the River Dee Bridge with two new bridges.
• Work at the railway would be minimised with the existing highway verge area through the structure being reconfigured to facilitate an active travel path.
• Up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths.

Option C

New twin structure River Dee Bridge plus separate rail underbridge for active travel.

• This would replace the River Dee Bridge with 2 new bridges.
• A new underbridge would be constructed through the railway embankment for an active travel path.
• Up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths.

Option D

New off-line single structure River Dee Bridge plus new westbound rail underbridge.

• This would replace the River Dee Bridge with a new bridge immediately upstream.
• The existing river bridge would either be re-purposed for a non-motoring usage or demolished.
• A new underbridge would be constructed through the railway embankment for westbound road traffic and an active travel path.
• Up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths.

Option E

New off-line single structure River Dee Bridge plus active travel link within existing rail underbridge.

• This would replace the River Dee Bridge with a new bridge immediately upstream.
• Work at the railway would be minimised with the existing highway verge area through the structure being reconfigured to facilitate an active travel path.
• Up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths.

Option F

New off-line single structure River Dee Bridge plus separate rail underbridge for active travel.

• This would replace the River Dee Bridge with a new bridge immediately upstream.
• A new underbridge would be constructed through the railway embankment for an active travel path.
• Up to 3km of new and improved active travel paths.

More information on the other options is available on the consultation page.

Question 1

Do you live or work near the A494 River Dee Bridge?

Question 2

Do you have any comments on Option E (best performing option) for replacing the A494 River Dee Bridge?

Question 3

Do you have any comments on any of the other options for replacing the A494 River Dee Bridge?

Question 4

Do you have any comments relating to the proposed pedestrian, wheeling, and cyclist facilities? These will be included in all the options.

Question 5

Do you have any other comments you would like to make?

Question 6

We would like to know your views on the effects that replacing the River Dee bridge would have on the Welsh language, specifically on opportunities for people to use Welsh and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English. What effects do you think there would be? How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated?

Question 7

Please also explain how you believe the proposed option(s) could be formulated or changed so as to have positive effects or increased positive effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language, and no adverse effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language.

Question 8

We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them.

The consultation will run from Monday 9 December 2024 until 11.59pm Tuesday 4 March 2025.

Details of how to respond are available on the consultation page.

We are holding a public exhibition where you can view this information and meet our project team who will answer any questions you may have.

From 10am to 7pm on Tuesday 21 January 2025 at St Andrew’s Church, Sealand Avenue, Garden City, CH5 2HN.

We will review all comments and suggestions once the WelTAG Stage 2 public consultation has closed. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales will take into account the results from this consultation exercise when making a decision on a preferred option. We will produce a report to summarise the feedback responses.

Updates on the scheme’s progress will be provided on the project website.

UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

The Welsh Government and its appointed consultants will be data controller for the for the A494 River Dee Bridge Scheme and for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation.

Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is our public task; that is, exercising our official authority to undertake the core role and functions of the Welsh Government. (Art 6(1)(e)) 

Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. In the case of joint consultations this may also include other public authorities. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation and that the Welsh Government may be under a legal obligation to disclose some information.

If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.

Your rights

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the UK GDPR, please see contact details below:

Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer,
Welsh Government,
Cathays Park,
Cardiff,
CF10 3NQ

Email: dataprotectionofficer@gov.wales

Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Telephone number: 0303 123 1113

Or you can visit the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Number: WG51127

Further information on the scheme, options considered and the best performing option is available on the consultation page.

Large print, Braille and alternative language versions of this document are available on request.

Contact details

For further information you can write to:

Welsh Government
Sarn Mynach
Llandudno Junction
LL31 9RZ 

Email: A494RiverDeeBridgeConsultation@gov.wales

This document is also available in Welsh.