For over a century, the station at Carmarthen has been isolated from
the town on the other side of the River Towy (Tywi) and pedestrians
and cyclists had to brave the main road bridge some 200 m to the
east. This situation has now been rectified by the construction of a
striking new cable stay bridge linking the Station direct with the
foot of Blue Street at a cost of £2.8 million.
The bridge is of interesting design being supported by cables hung
from two masts. The deck snakes its way across the river in a
sinuous curve. Construction started in January 2005 and completion
was expected in May 2006, but the theft of panels at a late stage
caused a delay until June, and the bridge had only been open a few
days when I visited. The official opening has still to take place.
The bridge is
named after the King Morgan brothers, chemists who did so much
for the town of Carmarthen. One possibly unsuspected problem is
caused by the strong westerly winds which blow uninterrupted up the
broad plain of the Towy and make it difficult for cyclists to remain
upright. Assuming cyclists have managed to ride across, they are
still expected to dismount to traverse the ramp at the northern
(town) end.
