Transporter Bridge set to reopen in 2027 after ‘challenging’ renovations

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

Newport’s historic Transporter Bridge is expected to reopen to the public in 2027 once “challenging” refurbishment works have been completed.

A new visitor centre will open next to the city’s famous landmark once the multimillion-pound restoration project is completed.

A city council report states the project on the 120-year-old bridge is “progressing”, with refurbishment work on the structure’s boom “largely completed”.

Last year, the council pushed back the estimated completion date from the autumn to the end of 2026.

A council spokesperson has since confirmed the project contractors are currently expected to “finish their work on the bridge in early 2027”, however.

“Until that is completed, the bridge and visitor centre will remain closed to the wider public,” the council spokesperson said, adding: “We look forward to welcoming visitors back to site for the new visitor season after this, once project managers have confirmed that both sites are safe to open.”

While general access to the new visitor centre has been restricted to date, the council report stated more than 1,000 people have taken part in pre-arranged tours of the site.

This includes schoolchildren and local community groups, who have “enjoyed seeing the new centre and the interactive facilities available”.

According to the council, the new visitor centre will be accessible and offer impressive views of the bridge from its outdoor terraces.

The repair work at the listed bridge has proved “challenging”, the council notes, owing to the structure’s height and it being “sensitive to extremes of weather”.

Parts of the bridge were also found to be “in a worse condition than expected at the start of the project”.

The vast majority of the bridge’s bracing pins – which hold the structure together – have been inspected and replaced, and contractors have also fitted new cables.

‘Iconic’

Earlier this year, the council confirmed the bridge will once again transport vehicles and passengers across the River Usk once the project has been completed.

The Transporter Bridge is one of the few structures of its kind still in use anywhere in the world, and according to the council report is an “iconic part of the Newport skyline” and “an important part of Newport’s heritage”.

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