Madam,

I attended the Older People’s Forum in Tywyn last Wednesday to hear a presentation by the contractors involved in the new Dyfi bridge project.

A spokesperson for the contractors spoke about very deep drilling for the new bridge supports for this £24m exercise. Obviously the fact that the Dyfi was originally a U-shaped Glacial valley, now over the centuries reverting to a V-shaped river valley, has been ignored. Where the river runs today is solid ground but across the valley is infilling rubbish, hence the need for deep drilling to reach the supporting rocks beneath.

The Y-shaped solution that I spoke about to MP Liz Saville-Roberts recently seems a simple solution to parts of the problem.

If you lay a Capital Y on its side along the existing road from Machynlleth railway bridge to the existing Dyfi bridge, and stop the road about 50 to 100 yards away, the old bridge can be kept as a tourist attraction.

Then, where the road stops, you can insert the V part of the Y, the open end facing the existing bridge, with the main Road to Corris and the north using the fork to the right, while the road to Aberdyfi and Tywyn takes the fork to the left.

Both roads can then be carried on shorter bridges supported by piles which need less drilling.

And no roundabout is needed as the road coming from Tywyn and Aberdyfi can be marked as a secondary road joining the main road, while the main road could be adjusted to rejoin the Corris road at about 400 to 500 yards before the Llanwrin turn.

As visibility where the roads join will be excellent, there is no need for a roundabout at this point.

The road leading to the railway at Machynlleth could have wide pipes inserted at ground level before the road itself is raised about five to 10 feet, removing the flood problem, as the large-diameter pipes would carry away the flood waters.

Yours etc,

Ronald Bott, Abergynolwyn.

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