A RAILWAY footbridge in Caerphilly county borough which was hit by a lorry will be replaced, Transport for Wales (TfW) has pledged.

The Ty’n-y-Graig footbridge bridge across the Rhymney Valley rail line at Llanbradach was shut in April after reportedly being damaged three months previously.

It was then hit by a lorry at the end of May and has had to be removed.

TfW has said it is committed to reinstating the bridge “as soon as we can”, but a letter from its chief executive James Price said it could take up to two years.

In a letter to Plaid Cymru ward councillor Colin Mann, Mr Price said: “We will do all we can to expedite installation of the structure, but it is extremely difficult to accurately predict a timeline given the significant unknowns we face due to Covid-19.

“A typical footbridge replacement takes between 12 and 24 months.

“It involves many stages, including consultations, site investigations, preliminary and detailed design, materials procurement, fabrication, enabling works and, finally, installation.”

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Llanbradach ward councillor Rob Gough has called for an earlier replacement to be made.

“As far as I’m concerned taking two years to replace the footbridge is far too long,” he said.

“It’s not as if they have to design a massive structure like on a busy main road.

“They are only replacing a small footbridge.”

Cllr Mann, who is the leader of Caerphilly council’s Plaid Cymru group, said it will be “pressing Transport for Wales to make speedy progress”.

“We want to see the preparation work started quickly, so the time without the bridge is kept to an absolute minimum,” he said.

Mr Price thanked the community of Llanbradach “for their patience and understanding” while the damaged footbridge was safely removed.

“We appreciate that this is an historic facility used by the members of the community to access local woodlands, and we are committed to reinstating it as soon as we can,” he said.