Ross Swing Bridge refurbishment, Penzance

We’re pleased to share that Ross Bridge is expected to reopen a few days earlier than scheduled. The project team have been working hard to achieve this, and pedestrian access will now open by the end of today, Friday 15^th May for the weekend. It will close again on Monday for final inspections, then fully reopen, including vehicle access on Tuesday 19^thMay.

We know this has been a challenging journey for everyone, and we’re very grateful for the patience and support shown by the community while this work has been carried out. These vital repairs to Ross Bridge, secure its future for years to come, restoring it as an important part of Penzance’s heritage and infrastructure. Thank you to everyone for your understanding as we worked to bring this vital structure back into use.

The project team continues to work hard on site with the aim of providing temporary pedestrian access over Ross Bridge from the close of Friday 1st May, in time for the early May Bank Holiday weekend. Momentum remains strong, and good progress is being made, with both the main works team and the mechanical & electrical contractors fully focused on completing the remaining tasks needed to make the temporary access available safely.

Pedestrian access will close again on Tuesday 5th May so that construction work can safely continue. Due to the close proximity of pedestrians to heavy plant and machinery, no construction work will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend, for safety reasons.

Yesterday marked a major milestone for the Ross Bridge project, as the bridge was successfully lifted back into place. The complex operation went smoothly and it’s great to see the structure back where it belongs. While this is a significant step forward, the road is not yet open as the there is still a considerable amount of work to complete. However we hope to be able to confirm whether pedestrian access will be open for the Bank Holiday weekend shortly. We’ll share a further update here, as soon as we're able to.

From Monday 20 April, the temporary bridge will close to both vehicles and pedestrians. This is a necessary step so that we can safely remove the temporary structure and begin installing the newly refurbished Ross Bridge. We know that another closure is frustrating, particularly for local residents and businesses who have already shown a great deal of patience, and we genuinely appreciate that continued understanding. This closure marks the final major stage of the project and brings us much closer to reopening the road for good.

Once the temporary bridge is removed, the team will prepare all of the bearings, supports and connection points needed for the permanent bridge to be installed. The refurbished bridge will then be lifted into place and secured, followed by the installation of the deck plates that form the main carriageway. After that, works will continue to complete the bridge and its approaches, including installing the footway, kerbs and handrails, carrying out drainage works, resurfacing the road and laying the final road markings. There will also be thorough safety checks and inspections before the bridge reopens.

Because the works are taking place over the harbour, they need to be carefully planned around tides, weather conditions and limited working space. To reduce the overall length of the closure as much as possible, we will be working extended hours, including most weekends, where it is safe to do so. Our aim is to reopen the road by Friday 22 May, in time for the late May Bank Holiday weekend.

For the early May Bank Holiday weekend, we are planning to temporarily reopen pedestrian access only, allowing people to cross on foot. Pedestrian access will then close again on Tuesday 5 May so that construction work can safely continue. Due to the close proximity of pedestrians to heavy plant and machinery, no construction work will take place over that Bank Holiday weekend for safety reasons.

We know how important this route is to the local community and the harbour, and we are committed to keeping everyone informed as the works progress. Thank you all once again for your patience and cooperation while this essential work is completed and a safer, refurbished bridge is put back in place.

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 to four 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.