Carreghofa bridge expected to finish in early 2027

The new Carreghofa Lane Bridge near Llanymynech is expected to be completed in early 2027, according to a Powys Council update published on 13 October. The crossing will replace a causeway installed in the 1960s that cut across the Montgomery Canal. Its design allows room for boats and towpath users beneath the road.

A bridge, rather than a reopening date

Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is restoring a 4.4-mile section between Llanymynech and Maerdy. The council says this stretch has been unnavigable since the 1930s. Completion of the bridge is not a date for reopening the entire canal to boats. The Trust’s project notes distinguish the funded restoration works from a fully navigable waterway. Its earlier construction update gave an early-2026 target. The council’s latest notice now gives early 2027, without explaining the change. That remains an expected completion window, not a confirmed opening day.

Work on the wider canal

More than 60 people visited the construction site on 3 October. The open day has already taken place; this is not an invitation to enter the works. The council also reports planning permission for a crossing at Williams Bridge and forthcoming floodplain work at Carreghofa. Permission for that separate crossing does not mean it has been built. The Trust’s August update described construction of the box culvert and troughs at Carreghofa, with wing-wall work continuing and drainage substantially complete. The next useful confirmation will be a completion date and the arrangements for road and towpath access.