A bridge which closed nearly six months ago over fears it might collapse is set to reopen to the public.
Old Bassaleg Bridge in Bassaleg, Newport, was closed back in August after it was deemed unsafe by Newport City Council following a structural review.
About 18 households nearby Forge Mews were encouraged to leave their homes "as soon as possible" after the council said it was concerned the Victorian bridge "could potentially collapse under its own weight".
Read more: The big projects Newport Council wants to spend money on this year
At the time a council spokesperson called it a "serious situation" and that the bridge posed "too great a risk to remain open". While some residents agreed to move temporarily into an emergency hotel ten miles away in Cardiff, a handful refused.
A Freedom of Information request by WalesOnline later revealed the bridge had only been inspected four times in 32 years. The FOI response revealed the council held no record of any inspections having taken place between 1992 and 2016..
A letter from Newport City Council to residents on January 13 confirmed plans to reopen the bridge to pedestrians only in the next week.
In the letter, seen by WalesOnline, the council said the bridge was "now stable under its own loading and not at risk of imminent collapse" after remedial work on the bridge and main piers.
"Structural assessment advice is that the bridge is now safe to be reopened for pedestrian use only and further specialist works including the lifting of the complete structure and replacement of bearings on the west abutment is necessary to support the final goal to fully reopen the bridge to vehicular traffic," it read.
It added that lifting and testing of the bridge, which weighs more than 1,000 tons, was a "complex operation" that was made more complicated by the fact workers can only enter the river at certain times of the year.
It said the bridge's reopening to pedestrians would include the closure of the temporary vehicle access route off the A467 and reinstatement of part of the acoustic sound barrier fence.
It said a temporary parking permit area would be put in place along Viaduct Way and along the churchyard layby for residents.
"Clearly there are still considerable works to be undertaken to complete the bridge remedial repairs and we trust this next phase takes us some way forward in the aim to get you, the residents, back to normality."
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