Monmouthshire County Council are pleased to announce that work has begun on the construction of the Llanfoist to Abergavenny Active Travel Bridge.

The new active travel bridge will enable people to walk, wheel and cycle instead of using their car.

The bridge will cross the River Usk between Merthyr Road and Castle Meadows, providing more attractive and direct sustainable routes between Llanfoist and Abergavenny.

It will be of steel beam construction with wooden cladding to blend with the natural surroundings.

Once the bridge structure is in place, ramps will be constructed to connect the bridge to the paths on Castle Meadows and Merthyr Road, Llanfoist. Improvements to connecting routes are also planned.

The council has appointed Balfour Beatty as the main contractor to deliver the scheme, supported by an investment of £10.4 million from the Welsh Government’s Active Travel Fund and £3.6 million from the Cardiff Capital Region’s Regional Transport Fund.

Completion of the structure is expected in September 2027, with work phased due to ecological and site constraints.

We have worked with stakeholders to ensure that the needs of existing Castle Meadows users are met and that concerns are addressed. The scheme will include works to support the Castle Meadows Management Plan.

Castle Meadows, where the bridge will land on the Abergavenny side, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the River Usk is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The construction plan includes measures to mitigate negative impacts and include built-in net-benefit.

Cllr Sara Burch, Monmouthshire County Council Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, Housing & Tourism, said: “I am delighted to see the work on the new bridge has begun.

“This bridge will provide a better, greener connection for people to access the town centre of Abergavenny.

“This is a complex project which has been many years in the making and will take several years to complete because of the constraints of working in a way that respects the biodiversity of the river Usk and the meadows.” Find out more about the scheme and sign up to the Llanfoist to Abergavenny Active Travel Bridge newsletter here: https://abergavennyactivetravelbridge.co.uk/