English: Well, I'd like to thank the Member for the way in which he has engaged with this issue, and I understand his concerns, and those questions are fair. I will try and answer some of them now. I will write to him with those I haven't answered, and, as I say, we will set up a meeting for him and others to speak with the Welsh Government chief engineer to talk through the detailed questions and concerns he has. I think the overall questions, 'Was enough done?' 'Are there lessons learned?', are fair questions, and those are questions we're asking ourselves, and we shall be reviewing what has happened to get us to this stage. I think it's fair to say that our officials were surprised when we had the report last Wednesday that urgent work needed to be done. I was told about it Wednesday and initially told that it is not unusual for concerns to be raised, but the process is to challenge and to test them, given the consequences of closing, to make sure we were absolutely certain. I was then told on Thursday, having had further testing and further conversations - . As I say, the firm of engineers who've been doing this work are world-renowned for this work. They also work on the Clifton suspension bridge, so are familiar with the type of engineering involved. And given that their advice was so clear, it was felt that this had to be done right away, but it wasn't something we anticipated. So, obviously, something had changed since the previous inspection to require this work. But, in a sense, the system worked. The system is one of checks - regular checks, follow-up work, analysis - and that's what happened. It was first identified as a problem in 2019, there was a restriction on heavy vehicles crossing, further follow-up and testing work was done, and that has resulted in today's decision and discussion. So, in a sense, the safety measures we had in place have proven effective. The risk of a catastrophic event happening to the bridge is still low, but it is too high for us to be able to risk it. And as the Member rightly pointed out, this is a very old bridge. Some 40 of the hangers were replaced in 1990s, but there are over 200 remaining that are much older, and a much older technology. And that also creates a degree of uncertainty, because the newer technology is able to be tested and able to be monitored in a far more reliable way. There's a degree of uncertainty that we have with the much older hangers. That is one of the reasons why we've been cautious in making the decisions that we have. It's possible that the checks that will happen over the next two weeks will find that this has been an overreaction and that we'll be able to open the bridge, with a weight restriction, much, much sooner. My officials advise me that they think that's unlikely, but it is certainly a possibility, and we won't keep this closed any longer than we feel is justified by the balance of risks. To try and answer some of the questions about the traffic flowing, well, there are plans being developed with the local authority and with UK Highways to monitor that and to put in place any mitigation measures, and I'm happy to give you more detail of those. In terms, then, of the contingencies for what should happen if both bridges are closed - . And just some reassurance on this - this has tended to happen something like no more than twice a year. So, it's a rare event and, when it happens, it generally happens for a matter of hours. It clearly causes huge disruption, and I'm not minimising it; I'm just putting it into context of how often. I think it's closed 10 times since 1987, the Britannia bridge. Now, as it happens, there are high winds predicted for tomorrow, so it allows us to immediately put in place plans to inform drivers of the conditions and to urge those with vulnerable vehicles, like caravans and motorbikes, not to travel while those high-wind conditions are in place, and those that do so do so at their own risk. The officials are working with the north Wales trunk road agency on a new high-winds strategy for the A55 Britannia bridge to review wind gusts against the speed of vehicles, and the option to reduce the speed limit to 30 mph could assist with allowing the most vulnerable vehicles to cross at high-wind gusts. There are also contingency plans being drafted, and initial options in this plan would include the options to increase park-and-ride facilities, create potential stacking site options, and review the rail use to and from the island. So, there is a lot of thought, as you might imagine, going into looking at a whole range of possibilities, given the importance of this link. In terms of the long-term resilience of the bridge, as Rhun ap Iorwerth mentioned, work has been going on to look into a third crossing. That has now gone through WelTAG stage 2. It would cost somewhere in the order of £400 million. That's the current estimate. So, it's a significant decision to make and investment to make. As you know, it's been reviewed as part of the roads review panel, along with all other schemes in Wales, and we'll also be asking the Burns review in north Wales to look at what contingencies could be put in place in the short term. Even were we to start to build it now, the process takes somewhere around seven years. These things are expensive and slow. So, we will be asking Burns to address the issue of resilience in the longer term, and that report will be available next year. So, I think, as I've set out, we're doing some short-term things. If that inspection in two weeks' time shows that the decision was the right one, then some detailed modelling will be done by an entirely separate firm, who also are highly experienced in these structures, to make sure that it is independent, and then further modelling will be done. So, we will make sure that we do this right and we will make sure that we do it with safety in mind, and we will do all we can in the meantime to help the people of Ynys Môn and beyond who are inconvenienced by the congestion this causes at peak times.
Welsh: Wel, hoffwn ddiolch i'r Aelod am y ffordd mae wedi ymgysylltu â'r mater hwn, ac rwy'n deall ei bryderon, ac mae'r cwestiynau hynny'n deg. Fe wnaf i geisio ateb rhai ohonyn nhw nawr. Byddaf yn ysgrifennu ato gyda'r rhai nad wyf wedi eu hateb, ac fel y dywedais i, byddwn yn sefydlu cyfarfod iddo ef ac eraill siarad â phrif beiriannydd Llywodraeth Cymru i siarad drwy'r cwestiynau a'r pryderon manwl sydd ganddo. Rwy'n credu bod y cwestiynau cyffredinol, 'A gafodd digon ei wneud?' 'Oes yna wersi wedi eu dysgu?', yn gwestiynau teg, ac mae'r rheiny'n gwestiynau rydyn ni'n eu gofyn i ni'n hunain, a byddwn ni'n adolygu'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd i'n cael ni i'r cam hwn. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n deg dweud bod ein swyddogion wedi synnu pan gawsom yr adroddiad ddydd Mercher diwethaf bod angen gwneud gwaith brys. Cefais wybod amdano ddydd Mercher a chefais wybod i ddechrau nad yw'n anarferol i bryderon gael eu codi, ond y broses yw eu herio a'u profi, o ystyried canlyniadau cau, i wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gwbl sicr. Cefais wybod wedyn ddydd Iau, ar ôl cael profion pellach a sgyrsiau pellach - . Fel y dywedais i, mae'r cwmni o beirianwyr sydd wedi bod yn gwneud y gwaith hwn yn fyd-enwog am y gwaith hwn. Maen nhw hefyd yn gweithio ar bont grog Clifton, felly maen nhw'n gyfarwydd â'r math o beirianneg dan sylw. Ac o ystyried bod eu cyngor mor glir, teimlwyd bod yn rhaid gwneud hyn yn syth, ond nid oedd yn rhywbeth yr oeddem ni wedi'i ragweld. Felly, yn amlwg, roedd rhywbeth wedi newid ers yr archwiliad blaenorol i fod angen y gwaith hwn. Ond, ar un ystyr, roedd y system yn gweithio. Mae'r system yn un sy'n cynnwys gwiriadau - gwiriadau rheolaidd, gwaith dilynol, dadansoddiad - a dyna ddigwyddodd. Cafodd ei nodi am y tro cyntaf fel problem yn 2019, roedd cyfyngiad ar gerbydau trwm yn croesi, gwnaed gwaith dilynol a phrofi pellach, ac mae hynny wedi arwain at benderfyniad a thrafodaeth heddiw. Felly, ar un ystyr, mae'r mesurau diogelwch a oedd gennym ni ar waith wedi profi eu bod yn effeithiol. Mae'r risg o ddigwyddiad trychinebus yn digwydd i'r bont yn dal i fod yn isel, ond mae'n rhy uchel i ni allu mentro. Ac fel y nododd yr Aelod yn gywir, mae hon yn bont hen iawn. Gosodwyd tua 40 o hongwyr newydd yn lle hen rai yn yr 1990au, ond mae dros 200 yn weddill sy'n llawer hŷn, a thechnoleg llawer hŷn. Ac mae hynny hefyd yn creu rhywfaint o ansicrwydd, oherwydd mae'r dechnoleg fwy newydd yn gallu cael ei phrofi ac yn gallu cael ei monitro mewn ffordd llawer mwy dibynadwy. Mae gennym ni rywfaint o ansicrwydd gyda'r hongwyr llawer hŷn. Dyna un o'r rhesymau pam rydyn ni wedi bod yn ofalus wrth wneud y penderfyniadau rydym ni wedi'u gwneud. Mae'n bosib y bydd y gwiriadau fydd yn digwydd dros y pythefnos nesaf yn canfod ein bod ni wedi gorymateb ac y byddwn ni'n gallu agor y bont, gyda chyfyngiad pwysau, llawer, llawer cynt. Mae fy swyddogion yn fy nghynghori eu bod nhw'n credu bod hynny'n annhebygol, ond mae'n sicr yn bosibilrwydd, ac ni fyddwn ni'n cadw hon ar gau yn hirach nag yr ydym ni'n credu sydd wedi ei gyfiawnhau drwy bwyso a mesur risgiau. Er mwyn ceisio ateb rhai o'r cwestiynau am lif y traffig, wel, mae cynlluniau yn cael eu datblygu gyda'r awdurdod lleol a gyda UK Highways i fonitro hynny ac i roi unrhyw fesurau lliniaru ar waith, ac rwy'n hapus i roi mwy o fanylion i chi am y rheini. O ran, wedyn, y cynlluniau wrth gefn o ran beth ddylai ddigwydd os yw'r ddwy bont ar gau - . A dim ond rhywfaint o sicrwydd ar hyn - mae hyn wedi tueddu i ddigwydd rhywbeth fel dim mwy na dwywaith y flwyddyn. Felly, mae'n ddigwyddiad prin, a phan mae'n digwydd, mae'n digwydd yn gyffredinol am fater o oriau. Mae'n amlwg yn achosi aflonyddwch enfawr, ac nid wyf i'n ei leihau; rydw i yn ei roi mewn cyd-destun o ran pa mor aml. Rydw i'n meddwl ei bod wedi'i chau 10 gwaith ers 1987, pont Britannia. Nawr, fel mae'n digwydd, mae yna wyntoedd cryfion yn cael eu rhagweld ar gyfer yfory, felly mae'n caniatáu i ni roi cynlluniau ar waith ar unwaith i hysbysu gyrwyr o'r amodau ac annog y rhai sydd â cherbydau agored i niwed, fel carafanau a beiciau modur, i beidio â theithio tra bod yr amodau gwynt uchel hynny'n mynd rhagddynt, ac mae'r rhai sy'n gwneud hynny yn gwneud hynny ar eu risg eu hunain. Mae'r swyddogion yn gweithio gydag asiantaeth cefnffyrdd y gogledd ar strategaeth wyntoedd uchel newydd ar gyfer yr A55 Britannia i adolygu hyrddiadau gwynt yn erbyn cyflymder cerbydau, a gallai'r opsiwn i leihau'r terfyn cyflymder i 30 mya gynorthwyo gyda chaniatáu i'r cerbydau mwyaf agored i niwed groesi pan fydd hyrddiadau gwynt uchel. Mae cynlluniau wrth gefn hefyd yn cael eu drafftio, a byddai opsiynau cychwynnol yn y cynllun hwn yn cynnwys yr opsiynau i gynyddu cyfleusterau parcio a theithio, creu opsiynau safle pentyrru posibl, ac adolygu'r defnydd o'r rheilffyrdd i'r ynys ac oddi yno. Felly, mae llawer o feddwl, fel y gallech chi ddychmygu, yn mynd i edrych ar ystod gyfan o bosibiliadau, o ystyried pwysigrwydd y ddolen hon. O ran cadernid y bont yn yr hirdymor, fel soniodd Rhun ap Iorwerth, mae gwaith wedi bod yn mynd ymlaen i edrych ar drydydd croesiad. Mae hynny bellach wedi mynd trwy gam 2 WelTAG. Byddai'n costio rhywle yn agos i £400 miliwn. Dyna'r amcangyfrif presennol. Felly, mae'n benderfyniad sylweddol i'w wneud a buddsoddiad i'w wneud. Fel y gwyddoch chi, mae wedi cael ei adolygu fel rhan o'r panel adolygu ffyrdd, ynghyd â'r holl gynlluniau eraill yng Nghymru, a byddwn ni hefyd yn gofyn i adolygiad Burns yn y gogledd edrych ar ba gynlluniau wrth gefn y gellid eu rhoi ar waith yn y tymor byr. Hyd yn oed pe byddem ni'n ddechrau ei hadeiladu nawr, mae'r broses yn cymryd tua saith mlynedd. Mae'r pethau yma'n ddrud ac yn araf. Felly, byddwn ni'n gofyn i Burns fynd i'r afael â'r broblem o ran cadernid yn y tymor hwy, a bydd yr adroddiad hwnnw ar gael y flwyddyn nesaf. Felly, rwy'n credu, fel rydw i wedi'i nodi, rydyn ni'n gwneud rhai pethau tymor byr. Os yw'r archwiliad hwnnw ymhen pythefnos yn dangos mai'r penderfyniad oedd yr un cywir, yna bydd rhywfaint o fodelu manwl yn cael ei wneud gan gwmni cwbl ar wahân, sydd hefyd yn brofiadol iawn yn y strwythurau hyn, i wneud yn siŵr ei fod yn annibynnol, ac yna bydd modelu pellach yn cael ei wneud. Felly, byddwn ni'n sicrhau ein bod ni'n gwneud hyn yn iawn a byddwn ni'n sicrhau ein bod ni'n ei wneud gyda diogelwch mewn golwg, a byddwn ni'n gwneud popeth o fewn ein gallu yn y cyfamser i helpu pobl Ynys Môn a thu hwnt sy'n profi anghyfleustra oherwydd y tagfeydd mae hyn yn ei achosi ar adegau prysur.