A consultation to allow lorries weighing more than 18 tonnes to cross a bridge near Llanbrynmair for the first time in over 20 years, could start later this month.

On 3 June Cllr Jackie Charlton, the Powys County Council cabinet member for highways transport and recycling took a delegated decision to start the legal process to make a traffic regulation order (TRO) to remove the weight restriction from Tafolwern Fawr Bridge.

This follows work to re-deck the bridge which which carries the C2175 over the Afon Laen watercourse.

A second delegated decision was also taken by Cllr Charlton to restrict the weight limit of vehicles to go over the nearby Bont Fach Bridge which carries the U2303 over the Afon Twymyn watercourse.

Bont Bach is just 70 metres to the southwest of Tafolwern Fawr Bridge.

The report said that the cost of implementing the TRO would be £9,774 including £5,000 to pay for signs.

The report explains that the order was needed because: “Tafolwern Fawr Bridge has been restricted to 18 tonnes since 2001 due to inadequacy of the pier following a structural assessment.

“During the winter of 2023- 2024 the pier partially collapsed.

“In September and October 2024, works were carried out to replace the bridge deck, removing the need for a central pier and reinstating the structure to support standard highway loading.”

Back in 2013 a structural assessment of Bont Fach Bridge deemed it capable of carrying vehicles up to a maximum of 18 tonnes.

This restriction was not implemented as the weight prohibition to Tafolwern Fawr Bridge stopped vehicles getting to the smaller bridge, but as the weight restriction on the bigger bridge is to be deleted, council highways engineers say it’s “now essential” to impose a permanent weight restriction to Bont Fach Bridge.