North Bridge will be fully open on Friday evening

Edinburgh’s North Bridge will fully reopen to traffic and pedestrians tonight by 7pm on Friday, concluding eight years of partial closures.

The Category A listed transport link brings back both pavements and traffic lanes ahead of the peak August festival season.

The restoration project began in 2018 and required extensive structural repairs that took longer and cost around £86m – around four times more than anticipated.

Final completion of the work on the structure, which connects the Old and New Towns over Waverley Station, is expected later this year. 

Refurbishment of the bridge, originally built between 1894 and 1897, has involved grit blasting and repainting all structural steelwork. 

Contractors also restored the cast iron façade and installed a permanent access platform for future monitoring.

Over the past eight years, workers repaired or replaced approximately 6,300 steel sections, pushing the project timeline back multiple times. 

Initial estimates placed the work at roughly two years and £22 million, but the discovery of extensive, hidden corrosion caused the budget to rise to approximately £86 million. 

Some sections of the bridge had not been accessed or inspected for over a century.

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m delighted that we’ve reached this key milestone in the project. This reopening is all the more welcome given the busy time of year, and the wider travel disruption we’re currently experiencing as a result of the fire on Princes Street.

“Make no mistake, this has been one of the most complex and ambitious projects the Council has ever undertaken. When work first began, some areas of the bridge hadn’t seen the light of day in over a century, and few could’ve imagined the scale of the challenge we faced.

“I’m conscious that this has taken longer, and cost more than we initially anticipated. Our residents, businesses and visitors have my sincere thanks for their patience during this time. However, I’m incredibly proud that we’ve successfully preserved and enhanced this cornerstone of Edinburgh’s history, and key transport corridor, for future generations of our city.

“To see the bridge back to its former glory, with the new façade shining in the summer sun, is something we can all celebrate together.”

Rory McFadden, Project Director at Balfour Beatty, said: “The reopening of North Bridge to both traffic and pedestrians marks a major milestone in this complex restoration project and is a significant step towards returning this iconic structure to the heart of Edinburgh’s transport network.

“While there is still work to complete in the months ahead, it will be incredibly rewarding to see residents, visitors and businesses once again utilising the bridge and benefitting from this vital transport link.”