The Usk Bridge (Welsh: Pont-Yr-Wysg) in Brecon, Powys, Wales is the town's oldest route over the River Usk. It carries the B4601 road, formerly the A40, between Brecon and Llanfaes. [1]
The river was fordable at Brecon and the date of construction of the original bridge here is uncertain. The existing stone bridge was built in 1563 [2] and replaced an earlier bridge that was washed away in the floods of 1535. [3] It was widened in 1794 by bridge builder Thomas Edwards, at a cost of £1,000 [2] (equivalent to £120,000 in 2021) [4]
During the 20th century it was widened further with the addition of metal framed footpaths on either side. [2] In the 1950s it required widening to take modern road traffic and a new concrete bed, described as "functional and safe but extremely ugly", was laid on top of the original stone base. [3]
The bridge is a Grade I listed structure. [2]