A mum is considering pulling her vulnerable child out of school and care workers would struggle to get to patients if the one-month Dyfi road closure goes ahead.

Residents are concerned about not being able to afford fuel for the one-hour 30-mile detour resulting from the closure of the A493 near Pontarddyfi in Machynlleth, scheduled to go ahead in February 2024.

Communities in Pennal, Cwrt, Bro Dysynni, and other villages on the A493 are deeply concerned about the impact of the plans to close the road as part of the new Afon Dyfi bridge development on their ability to attend work, school, and appointments in Aberystwyth.

Katy from Cwrt is considering pulling her vulnerable child out of school for the month as a result.

Katy, a single mum, and teacher at Aberystwyth University, said: “Having a child with a disability is already limiting as it is with the type of work I can do, the amount I can work, how much time I have to take off for hospital appointments.

Access to the A493 to the west of Dyfi bridge will close for a month in February 2024
Access to the A493 to the west of Dyfi bridge will close for a month in February 2024 (Debbie Luxon)

"It’s going to have a significant effect on me. I rely on Universal Credit to top up my income and the increase in fuel use is going to be astronomical for me.” 

Her son, four-year-old Noah, was fitted with a pacemaker as an infant and is a “cardiac arrest risk”- meaning an assigned adult carries a defibrillator for Noah when he’s at school. 

But left unsupervised for an hour on a proposed school shuttle bus, Katy has become petrified of what will happen if he requires an ambulance during the road closure. 

She said she may need to take time off work to drop her son off at his school or to babysit or home-school him if he can't get to school.  

The new bridge is scheduled to open before the road closure
The new bridge is scheduled to open before the road closure (Debbie Luxon)

Katy, in her 30s, said: “It may be cheaper to take the month off and homeschool him than to pay for fuel and babysitting but I risk losing my job if I take too much time off. 

“Should my son need an ambulance, how is it going to get to us? It always worries me when the bridge is closed but there’s a way round for that.

"There won’t be a way around to us in Cwrt when the road closes. That worries me even more.” 

The route would usually give locals an eight-minute drive into northern Ceredigion but would turn into a one-hour reroute down the only remaining open road, having to drive around the entire southern Eryri mountain range.

The A493 road closure is scheduled to go ahead on 10 February, one week after the new Dyfi bridge is to open.

Another significant health concern is access to emergency healthcare - after the closer hospital in Tywyn closed its in-patient unit without warning nine months ago.

Work is nearing completion on a new bridge spanning the Afon Dyfi in Machynlleth
Work is nearing completion on a new bridge spanning the Afon Dyfi in Machynlleth (Debbie Luxon)

Mel, from Pennal, is a support worker for the elderly across southern Eryri and northern Ceredigion.

She said: "I don't know if I can afford the fuel to take the one-hour diversion three days a week but my clients wellbeing will suffer if I don't.

"I know that a lot of the elderly in the Pennal area rely on carers, district nurses and ambulances from Machynlleth should they have heart attacks or falls.

"I believe lives will be at risk, and during the winter months too when deaths of vulnerable people are at their highest.

"I am furious that the local population has not been considered at all. They care more about it being ready for the tourist season than looking after locals."

A recent email to a resident from Alun Griffiths Contractors, which runs the development of the new Dyfi bridge, wrote that the company is taking into account all the concerns of the local community.

Dated 22 December, it reads: "Over the last few weeks we have been in communication with the emergency services, schools, and others as suggested.

"This includes supply chain distribution centres that support businesses in the area.  Having reviewed all the feedback, a range of proposals have been discussed with the Welsh Government and the local project team. 

"Further mitigation proposals are now to be investigated in more detail to determine if additional reasonable mitigation measures can be provided.

"Discussions are also ongoing with a local private bus operator to assess how best they can alter the public bus service and assist with school transportation. 

"The new viaduct bridge, which links Corris to Machynlleth, is scheduled to open a week before the proposed road closure.

"The road closure by Dyfi Cottages, currently scheduled for 10 February 2024 will only proceed once the viaduct has been opened. I will provide an update with regard to mitigating measures in the New Year."