North Bridge to reopen next month after eight years of disruption
North Bridge is set to open in July, bringing an end to eight years of closures and extensive renovation works, according to Edinburgh Council’s leader.
The project, aimed at restoring the bridge in its first major overhaul in many decades, ran past deadlines and fell over budget, with the total expected to fall around £86m.
Extensions and budget increases became necessary as work got underway on the bridge and revealed more maintenance was needed than anticipated.
Council leader and Labour councillor stated in a report to councillors ahead of Thursday’s full council meeting that it was ‘fantastic’ to see the bridge returned to its former glory.
She continued: “After years of painstaking work, the North Bridge will completely reopen to traffic and pedestrians by the end of July – ahead of festival season getting underway.
“This has been a complex and difficult project but I hope you’ll agree it has been worth it.”
If open by July, the bridge will have all carriageways and both pedestrian walkways open in time for the summer festivals – a goal the council had hoped to meet earlier.
For much of the closure, pedestrian traffic has been restricted to one of the bridge’s two footways.
And traffic has been limited to two out of four lanes on the bridge, with the closure seeing long stretches of one-way operation, diverting drivers and buses.
Work is set to continue on the underside of the bridge after the opening in July.
At a recent rededication ceremony, a time capsule was buried within the bridge, joining one placed within the structure sometime during its construction during 1894 and 1897.
Before then, an earlier span, which started construction in 1763, covered the stretch.
An inspection of the bridge in 2016 found water intrusion issues inside the bridge, with £12m set aside to repair deficiencies with it.
But as work progressed, more and more issues were found, leading to the hefty final price tag and extensive period of closure.