North Bridge to close northbound for six weeks

On North Bridge there will be a northbound closure for six weeks from Monday 17 February.

This is part of the ongoing conservation and restoration works of the bridge.

During this period traffic will only be permitted to proceed southbound – from Princes Street towards South Bridge.

The six-week closure will allow resurfacing on both the southbound approach to the bridge (both lanes outside Waverley Gate towards Princes Street) and the southbound exit from the bridge – both lanes from the entrance to the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton on North Bridge to the junction at High Street.

There is more information on the North Bridge project page of the council website, and on the EdinTravel Facebook page.

The work on North Bridge has included refurbishing the cast iron bridge facades, grit blasting and repainting structural steelwork, repairing and improving the footway paving and installing “under drainage”. A full list of the improvements and the wider project benefits is on the council website.

The target is to complete the major repairs by the end of this year, although the council said previously they had hoped to have the bridge reopened to all traffic by June 2025. The expenditure has risen to more than £70 million which is more than double original estimates.

Transport and Environment Convener, Cllr Stephen Jenkinson said: “I appreciate this temporary closure will be frustrating for our residents and businesses. I want to thank them for their continued patience as we carry out these essential works.

“These works are part of the wider project to restore this crucial link between the north and south of the city – and of course preserve it for future generations.

“I’m conscious that this work is taking longer to complete than we had initially anticipated, but this is this a hugely complex project, with the historic nature of the bridge requiring painstaking and specialist work to restore it to its former glory.”