Landslide road repairs due for completion 'in weeks'

LANDSLIDE repairs to a key Wrexham road are nearing completion, according to a council report.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE

Having been closed for more than four-and-a-half years, remediation work on the B5605 is edging towards “substantial completion”.

The road between Newbridge and Cefn Mawr has been closed since Storm Christoph in January 2021. Heavy downpours caused part of the road to collapse down the Gelli Wood embankment into the River Dee, forcing drivers to take lengthy diversions.

Funding challenges meant renovations didn’t start until 2024. The scheme was scheduled for completion this summer but “unforeseen circumstances” meant this was revised to “Q3 2025” A local councillor has said he expects the work to finish in October.

At the start of the year major shotcrete and underpinning work stabilised the upper section of the bank beneath the old road. A temporary access track was built down to the river following some minor tree felling.

The most critical part of the project was the construction of a bored piled wall beneath the road near the river. This was designed both to support the rebuilt embankment and to protect it from river scouring.