DEMAND for repairing and maintaining bridges, including historic structures, has prompted a Monmouthshire County Council to appoint specialist project managers.

It is intended they will help get to grips with a growing programme of works and repairs that has meant schemes couldn’t be completed within the past financial year.

They will have control for a number of projects planned by Monmouthshire County Council which has recently faced criticism over the lengthy closure of the listed Old Wye Bridge that connects Chepstow with England.

The 210-year-old bridge was reopened to pedestrians in June, having been closed since the end of March, though a ban on vehicles, in place since October, remains. The council has warned extreme hot or cold temperatures could again force it to close the bridge completely.

Funding for new one-off costs or investments is made under the council’s capital budget, which totalled £32.515 million in 2025/26.

But due to demand and cost pressures the council has also had to carry over funding for 79 schemes totalling £45.21m, ranging from technology replacements and property maintenance to major school refurbishments, into the new financial year.

Debrah Hill-Howells, the council’s head of infrastructure, said it expects three new project managers to be in place by September.

As well as repairs to the grade I-listed Old Wye Bridge the council has agreed a two-year £5.5m refurbishment of the 120-year-old grade II-listed Chainbridge over the Usk at Kemeys Commander and has a £10m project for a new pedestrian and cycle bridge between Llanfoist and Abergavenny.

Ms Hill-Howells said: “Moving forward the infrastructure programme given the issues we have around bridges and structures is going to continue to be a big driver of our capital programme.

“To remedy this we have appointed three stand alone project managers who are in the process of joining us through the summer. By September we should have three new officers in place who will then take a lead on larger projects suh as Llanfoist bridge, Old Wye Bridge, Chainbridge, the list goes on.”

She said officers are currently deciding which projects should be allocated to the specialist managers as the council currently relies on third party consultants for project management or in house designers or lead engineers.

Councillors were also reminded it is usual practice for there to be “slippage” from one year to the next in the capital budge as schemes are planned over a number of years and various factors can impact delivery.

Conservative Alistair Neill, who chairs the performance and overview scrutiny committee, said updates on repairs and refurbishments would be appreciated: “So many residents and businesses say they simply don’t know what’s happening and they don’t know when things are happening, when they are planned to happen.”

He added: “I think we’ve got more bridges in Monmouthshire than Venice, so I don’t think it’s something that will end any time soon.”

Cllr Neill had said the council had been told officers currently responsible for building and repair projects are weighed down with emails prompting a suggestion of appointing project managers, potentially on a short-term basis.