Work is progressing well on a major project to transform one of Newport’s heritage icons, the Newport Transporter Bridge.
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Welsh government, Newport City Council, UK government and the Wolfson Foundation, the project is seeing restoration work on the Grade 1 listed bridge, ensuring it will remain an iconic part of the Newport skyline, and a tribute to Newport’s city’s industrial heritage for generations to come.
The project has also seen the construction of a brand-new visitor centre, which will fully open to the public once the restoration work on the bridge has been completed.
Here’s what’s been happening on site over the last few months.
Bridge restoration
Despite the challenges associated with working on such a historic structure in a marine environment, specialist contractors from VolkerLaser have made significant progress on the refurbishment and strengthening of the bridge.
Anyone going past the bridge will have noticed the large, encapsulated areas moving across the top boom. Beneath the tent like structures the team have been busy repairing and repainting over 80 per cent of the steelwork that makes up the boom, and inspecting and replacing over 75 per cent of the bracing pins which hold everything in place. Work continues on both of these elements.
Most of the cables on the bridge have been replaced, with work continuing on replacing the diagonal bracing cables.
There has also been refurbishment work taking place on the gondola which will include restoring lost architectural features, replacing the double vehicle gates and relevant cable replacement to ensure that the gondola, once again, transports people and vehicles across the river. The gondola, alongside the motorhouse, will be repainted in their original green and cream colours.
There is still a lot of complex work to complete on the restoration project, and it is taking longer than anticipated, but we are planning for this work to be finished next year, after which we will be able to press ahead with fully reopening the site to visitors once again.
The visitor centre
New artwork from Andy O’Rourke of Newport-based art collective Malarky Arts has been installed in the visitor centre.
The artwork pays homage to the businesses and communities of Pillgwenlly and Newport around the time the bridge was opened, and is a brilliant addition to the centre.
While due to the ongoing restoration work, the centre remains closed to the wider public, Newport Council have been able to facilitate lots of visits from community groups, families and local schools.
Pupils from Maes Ebbw School, St Andrews and Pillgwenlly primary schools, and the Bridge Achievement Centre have enjoyed learning about the history of the bridge, art activities, and building their own bridges in the exhibition space.
Around 40 different community groups have visited the centre since February. Feedback from these visits has been very positive, with many people commenting on the impressive facilities and exhibits, the brilliant views of the bridge from the outdoor terraces, and how accessible the building is for those with mobility issues, with step-free access to all levels and a changing places room available.
As well as a tour of the exhibits, the council have also been able to give visitors from these groups an insight into the restoration work, and the challenges faced by the team.
If your community group is interested in visiting the centre, then get in touch with the team at [email protected].
“I’m really pleased that we have been able to host so many community groups and schools at the visitor centre”, said Councillor Emma Corten, cabinet member for culture and communications.
“As well as being able to tell the story of the bridge in engaging and creative ways, the visitor centre will be a community space that will bring people together, and it’s fabulous to see that it’s already doing that, even before its fully open.
“The useful feedback from these visits will also be invaluable to the project team, allowing them to make tweaks and refinements before fully opening to ensure they deliver a world-class visitor experience.
“I’m also pleased to see the progress being made with the restoration work, particularly given some of the challenges the team has faced.
“There is still a lot of important work to do before we can fully reopen the site, but the progress to date, and the number of community groups we’ve been able to welcome to the visitor centre, has been wonderful to see.
“This project is an investment in Newport as a tourist destination, and sits alongside the ten-year culture strategy for the city launched earlier this year, and our forthcoming destination management plan in setting out a future for our city where culture, tourism and heritage play a major role in our story
“We have a rich and vibrant heritage that we rightly celebrate, and everything we have is going into making sure this work delivers a visitor attraction that will showcase that heritage to visitors from across the UK and beyond.”
