Ross Swing Bridge refurbishment, Penzance commencing 5th January 2026 for thirteen weeks

The refurbishment of Ross Bridge itself is progressing very well, with significant activity underway at A&P Falmouth’s specialist facility, where they are working seven days a week to accelerate the program.

The full bridge structure has been shot‑blasted back to bare metal, enabling thorough inspection and specialist structural repairs to be carried out, which are now complete. A primer coat is currently being applied across the structure, in readiness for the full painting, scheduled to take place over the Bank Holiday weekend, providing long‑term protection suitable for marine conditions. Jacking cylinders and other hydraulic elements—essential for the bridge’s operational mechanisms—are also currently undergoing refurbishment and repainting. And footway sections, kerbs and handrails have been sent for galvanising, together with handrails, preparing them for installation.

The steel deck plates have already been fully fabricated and galvanised and, following the completion of repainting next weekend, a trial fitting will take place whereby engineers will refine alignment and carry out the drilling of holes for bolts to ensure accuracy. Thereafter, the plates will be removed and prepared for transportation by road. Because the combined weight of the deck plates and the bridge exceeds the crane capacity, they cannot be installed before transport. They must be fitted once the bridge is back on site and lifted into place.

The refurbishment remains on programme, and the pace of work positive. The attention to detail, the quality of the engineering, and the commitment shown by the A&P team all reflect the importance of this bridge to Penzance – and once complete the project will safeguard Ross Bridge for many decades to come.

We will continue to keep everyone updated as the programme moves into the next stages and the installation window becomes more clearer.

The temporary structure at Ross Bridge is now fully installed and the road has reopened to both vehicles and pedestrians. To manage traffic flow safely, two‑way traffic lights are in operation which will be manually controlled during weekday, peak times and automated during evenings and weekends.

Meanwhile, inspections of the main bridge structure itself are now underway in Falmouth and the refurbishment programme has begun. New steel deck plates have already been fabricated and are ready for installation when the structure returns to site.

The temporary bridge will remain in place until after the Easter weekend and we’ll continue to keep you updated as the refurbishment progresses, sharing further information on the programme and timetable in due course.

On Wednesday 4^th March, with favourable sea conditions in place, the barge carrying the Ross Bridge was able to leave the basin as planned. It arrived safely in Falmouth at approximately 12.30pm after a seven‑hour journey. The bridge will now undergo its scheduled refurbishment works in Falmouth.

At the same time and following the departure of the Gry Maritha from the dry dock, assembly of the temporary road bridge began on-site. As part of this highly complex operation, teams are working within the constraints of a busy harbour environment and the unique challenges that come with installing a temporary road bridge in this location.

While significant progress has been made, some unexpected technical issues have arisen during the fitting of the temporary structure. These types of challenges, although frustrating, are not unusual in projects of this scale and complexity—particularly where temporary works must be precisely installed within a confined, marine setting.

Our project team is working to resolve these issues, and our specialist subcontractors will be working over the weekend in an effort to accelerate the installation and reopening of the road. Installation will take place as soon as it is absolutely safe and technically possible to do so. Based on current progress, we are now working towards Tuesday 10 March, but it will be done sooner if possible.

Following the successful lifting of Ross Bridge onto the barge for transportation earlier this week, preparations are now well underway for the installation of the temporary replacement bridge. The Gry Maritha ( the Isles of Scilly freight and support vessel) is currently in dry dock undergoing scheduled maintenance. The temporary bridge can only be installed once the vessel has exited the dock, which is expected to be on 4^th or 5^th March.

The temporary bridge is scheduled to arrive on site on Tuesday 3 March. Subject to weather and sea conditions, our aim is for the bridge to be installed and ready for use by mid-day Monday 9^th March. As this operation is heavily dependent on environment and marine conditions, timings may need to adjust, but we understand how important the reopening of the road is for residents and businesses and will complete the installation at the earliest safe opportunity.

The temporary bridge is a prefabricated modular steel truss bridge, selected specifically for the span and operational needs of this location. Once assembled on site, it will be lifted into position and although using a smaller crane, it is still a significant operation requiring appropriate wind, tidal and sea conditions. Importantly, the temporary bridge is designed to take the same loading as Ross Bridge and will allow single file traffic, controlled by traffic lights. The lights will be manually operated during working hours Monday to Friday, and vehicle actuated outside of working hours and on the weekend. There will also be a with a pedestrian footway in place.

Once the refurbished Ross Bridge is ready for installation, there will be a further three-week period where the road will need to be fully closed to allow the removal of the temporary bridge, preparation of connection points, then the installation of Ross Bridge, resurfacing and application of road markings. As you can appreciate, these phases of work are sequential, with each step dependent on the successful completion of the previous one, as well as on suitable weather and tidal conditions in this particularly exposed location.

We do very much appreciate the continued patience and understanding of the Penzance Community and give our absolute assurance that we are doing everything within our control to ensure the project is carried out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Ross Bridge lift has now been successfully carried out. Cormac have been closely monitoring the weather and sea conditions, waiting for a safe and suitable window to carry out this highly technical operation. Based on the forecasts, that window arrived early this morning, allowing the lift to be scheduled.

At 6am this morning, the tug Vixen skilfully manoeuvred the 40‑metre barge into the channel between the dry dock and causeway, positioning it with precision. Already in place on the sea wall was the 650‑tonne crane — one of only four of its type in the country, ready to be attached to the 26‑tonne bridge. Using specialised lifting rigging, evenly distributed to balance the load, the bridge was connected using pre‑rigged lifting points and straps, and the crane then stabilised with a 90 tonne counterweight to balance it.

The bridge was then slowly raised, lifted over the sides of the barge, lowered into position, and secured for transport. At the same time, the sea wall was being continuously monitored for any potential signs of movement, caused by the combined weight of the crane, bridge and lifting gear.

By 8am, Ross Bridge was being towed around to the harbour basin, where it now awaits its onward journey to A&P Falmouth later this week. This next phase will take place once sea conditions around Lizard Point are confirmed to be safe and suitable.

The temporary bridge is scheduled to be installed (also by crane) at the next available weather window.

The wind and sea conditions have again prevented the bridge lift from going ahead. Although we had hoped to complete the operation this week, rising winds have made it unsafe for the crane and barge teams. We fully understand and appreciate how frustrating this is for everyone, and our teams and contractors remain fully mobilised and ready to act as soon as a safe weather window opens. Unfortunately, the lift can only be confirmed very close to the day due to the strict conditions required.

To reduce the impact of the delays on the overall program, additional measures are already in place. Cormac will increase working to seven days where this meaningfully accelerates progress and A&P are progressing fabrication and preparatory works ahead of the bridge arriving with them. Once the bridge has been lifted out of place, transported to A&P at Falmouth and they’ve carried out their technical and structural inspections, we should then be able to share the schedule thereafter.

Since our last update, the project team remain ready to proceed, but unfortunately—and very frustratingly for all of us—the weather continues to be firmly against us.

Sea conditions around Penzance and the Lizard Point have been consistently rough, with waves ranging between 2.5 and 4 metres. While this may be an impressive sight, it creates extremely challenging conditions for the transportation of a 40m barge from Falmouth, and conditions remain well outside the safe limits required. Once the barge does arrive, the next step involves lifting the 26‑tonne bridge structure, using a 650‑tonne crane, onto the barge. Because of its scale, this lift can only be performed in one coordinated operation, with the right conditions. Anything less introduces risks that are not acceptable for our crews, contractors, or the community.

Despite these challenges, our commitment to the Ross Bridge project remains absolutely unchanged and we are ready to go as soon as nature allows. We understand how eager the community is to see visible progress and while this ongoing delay is disappointing, safety must come first. The team is on standby, checking forecasts and marine conditions daily and the moment we have a safe and viable weather window, the lift will go ahead.

Thank you to everyone for your continued patience and support as we work towards the next major milestone in the Ross Bridge maintenance and renovation project.

Severe weather over recent days has unfortunately had an impact on progress at Ross Bridge. The team has been working to break down and remove the concrete counterweight, which involves the use of electrical equipment. For safety reasons, this work must pause during periods of heavy rain, hail, and high winds. As a result, activity has been disrupted on at least two days this week.

Despite these challenges, we are still aiming to complete the removal of the counterweight within the coming days. Decommissioning of the hydraulic system and the disconnection of the bridge bogies is now planned for next week, subject to weather conditions.

The exceptional sea conditions are also affecting the movement of the barge travelling from Falmouth to Penzance. Current forecasts indicate that, if conditions improve, the barge may be able to reach Penzance around 4th - 5th February. We are monitoring weather and tide windows closely. As soon as it is safe to do so, the barge will be brought into Penzance Harbour, secured, and the bridge will be lifted onto it when conditions allow. It will then remain in the harbour until the sea state is suitable for transportation back to Falmouth.

We want to reassure everyone that the team is doing everything possible to keep the programme moving safely and efficiently. While the exceptional weather has created unavoidable delays, every effort will be made to recover lost time as soon as the weather allows.

We are extremely grateful for everyone’s continued patience, understanding, and support.

Good progress continues on the bridge refurbishment works.

All of the existing concrete bridge deck panels have now been removed. These materials have been sent off for recycling and will be crushed to produce recycled aggregates for use in other construction projects across Cornwall. The bridge has since been swung back into the open position to allow access to the concrete counterweight, removal of which is ongoing and will continue over the weekend, and into next week.

Next week will also see the decommissioning of the bridge’s hydraulic system and the removal of the support bogies. Once these elements have been removed, the bridge can be lifted onto the barge, which is currently moored in the channel between the dry dock and the causeway.

Subject to suitable weather and sea conditions, the bridge lift is planned for Monday 2nd February. The barge will then transport the bridge to A&P Falmouth where the refurbishment works will take place. In parallel, construction of the new bridge deck, handrails, and footway is already underway at A&P, progressing well, and will be completed well in advance of the bridge’s return to Penzance.

When the bridge returns, works to install the new deck, footway and handrails will begin immediately. To minimise disruption and meet programme milestones, the site team will be working seven days a week, with the aim of completing the works ahead of the Easter holidays.

During last week’s work to dismantle Ross Bridge so that it can be refurbished, our team discovered active pigeon nests within the structure. As with all wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law, and we immediately paused work.

Ecological surveys carried out before Christmas showed no signs of nesting, so it appears the pigeons moved in over the holiday period. Our ecological specialist has been monitoring the nest since its discovery, and a further survey this morning confirmed the nest had been abandoned and the eggs were not viable. The nest has now been safely removed.

With this confirmation, works will now continue. We’re committed to progressing the project as efficiently as possible and will be bringing in additional resources to help recover lost time.