Pont Briwet

Pont Briwet (1)
The previous Victorian Pont Briwet; looking south towards Llandecwyn
Carries	Cambrian Coast railway and A4085 road (toll)
Crosses	River Dwyryd
Locale	Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd North Wales
Owner	Private
Maintained by	Network Rail
Characteristics
Material	Wood
Width	Standard gauge (4 foot 8½ inch) railway track 10 feet (3.0 m) roadway
Piers in water	21
History
Opened	1867
Closed	2013

Pont Briwet (2)
Completed Pont Briwet rail crossing
Carries	Cambrian Coast railway
Crosses	River Dwyryd
Locale	Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd North Wales
Characteristics
Material	concrete, steel
Width	18 m (59 ft) (completed)
Piers in water	6
History
Opened	2014 (rail) 2015 (road)

Pont Briwet refers to the road and railway bridges that cross the River Dwyryd in Gwynedd, North Wales, connecting the town of Penrhyndeudraeth to the hamlet of Llandecwyn. The first bridge was a Victorian road and railway viaduct that was constructed entirely from timber. Although it was Grade II listed - as a rare example of a surviving 19th-century wooden road and railway viaduct, the structure was demolished in 2014 during a joint project between the Welsh government and Network Rail to upgrade the route.

The new Pont Briwet crosses the Dwyryd on the same alignment as the original structure but it is both stronger and wider to accommodate larger vehicles and traffic volume.

The Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway was authorised in 1861 to build a line along Cardigan Bay between Aberystwyth and Porthdinllaen on the Lleyn Peninsula. Pont Briwet would carry the Cambrian Coast railway to Porthmadog. In 1865 the company merged with Cambrian Railways. However boardroom struggles within the newly created company led to a delay in the work. In February 1866 the bridge's contractor was declared bankrupt. Pont Briwet was not completed until the following year.

Pont Briwet stood on 21 piers; each pier comprised four or five timber piles that were braced with X-framed supports. These created a series of frames on which longitudinal beams carried the road and railway; beams under the rail tracks were substantially larger than those under the roadway. Although the bridge was decked with timber planks, the road carriageway was waterproofed with a metalled surface. Iron was used for bolts and bracing bars.