Machynlleth Millennium Bridge

Machynlleth stands at a nodal point at the head of the Dovey (Dyfi) estuary and much of the traffic between south and north Wales passes over the old Dovey Bridge and along a very narrow section of the busy A487 trunk road.  In 2001, a new foot- and cycle-bridge, funded by the Welsh Assembly was built over the Dovey about 500 metres upstream from the road bridge, and on the site of a long-since-gone railway bridge on a branch line to Corris.

The bridge, designed by the artist Jon Mills, is of a very interesting design which blends in well with its rural setting. The masts arranged in a cross pattern suggest a simple wooden bridge of the sort that the Royal Engineers are capable of putting up in a hurry. The parapets look as if they are lined with leaves (but backed up by wire netting).

To access the bridge, over 1 km of new path has been constructed. From the station, a new path has been constructed alongside the main road down to the road bridge. Unfortunately, this path is on the west side of the road, necessitating two rather fraught crossings of the main road; one at the station (where the footway into town continues on the other side of the road) and the other at the Dovey road bridge itself. A further length of new path has been built along the river bank - flooding of this section can be a problem; and finally a shorter length of path has been constructed from the Millennium Bridge up onto the A487 on the north side of the river and along to the junction with the back road to Corris.

Click on the thumbnail to get the big picture. Click the browser back button to return

Overview from the south bank, looking upstream	The masts and deck, viewed from the north	The masts	Closeup of the masts	The deck, viewed from the south
The parapet	View from below	Credits	A distant view of the bridge, looking upstream	The new path from the station alongside the A487, looking north
The road crossing, at the southern end of the road bridge	The path along the river bank, looking east	The path from the northern end of the bridge up onto the A487	The old road bridge. Most recently rebuilt in 1805

 

Home	Other bridges