Pont y Werin Bridge
The people’s bridge - linking access routes thorough the city of Cardiff
The design and construction of a new pedestrian footway/cycleway bridge over the River Ely. The bridge is approximately 130m in length, consisting of four equal spans, the central one of which lifts to maintain a clear 20m navigational channel below.
- Completion of the Pont y Werin bridge brings sustainable links between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan for cyclists, wheelchair users and walkers.
- This bridge is one of the key strategic projects or Cardiff County Council and is essential to the development of a continuous walkway around Cardiff Bay.
Part of the funding for this bridge came from a £1.15 million lottery grant won by transport charity Sustrans in the Big Lottery Fund. Sustrans’ Connect2 projects will build bridges, foot and cycle paths, and reinstate a ferry, giving people all over the UK, easier and healthier access to schools, workplaces, shops, parks and countryside.
This 140m long bridge enables pedestrians and cyclists to cross between Penarth Marina and the International Sports Village at Cardiff Bay. It also links to a future cycle route through to Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan. The bridge will open to allow passage of river traffic.
The UK’s largest mobile crane, having a 1200 tonne capacity, was used to lift the steel spans of the bridge into place.
Key constraints encountered on this project included:
- Boat movements
- Moorings
- Local residents
- Monitoring of noise, light and dust levels
- Piling restrictions due to fish spawning season