Castle Cornet’s closure from 7 September is about two months earlier than usual, and the 95m-long bridge, surrounding parking area and raised walkway will then be closed to the public until the new bridge opens at the end of May 2027.
The project will replace the existing 75-year-old concrete bridge with a new structure, set to secure long-term access to Castle Cornet, the Castle Breakwater and the lighthouse.
Final preparations are now under way, with a temporary access bridge for workers and a scaffold ‘crash deck’ being constructed.
Guernsey Ports project civil engineer Joe Armstrong said the existing bridge had reached the end of its structural life.
‘The condition of it is really poor, we haven’t been able to drive vehicles over it for the past three years,’ he said.
‘We’ve also had to reduce the amount of pedestrian loading we have on it. It was rebuilt in the early 1950s. And it’s now reached the end of its life. We have to repair it.’
Local contractor Geomarine has been appointed to do the work, following a competitive tender process.
‘It’s good news that they came out on top. It shows local contractors can compete with UK folk, and it means that most of the money we invest in the project is reinvested in the local economy.’
Access to all businesses in the area will remain available by car and on foot – but parking provision will change, and availability will be reduced.
The row of viewing-only spaces overlooking the harbour, next to the Model Yacht Pond, will be temporarily re-designated as standard two-hour parking to provide more flexibility for business customers. Other parking zones will be closed – including spaces around the pond, and on one side of road parking between the bunker and Havelet Bay. Mr Armstrong said this disruption had been considered as part of the project.
‘We’re going to be taking up quite a large area and we’re very much aware of that,’ he said.
‘There will be new material arriving, diminishing material being taken away, and they’ve also got to have space to store equipment etc. We’re doing the works over the winter period, which is the quietest time we could do it, to try and keep that disruption to a minimum.’
The temporary bridge will carry essential utilities – electricity, fresh water and wastewater services – which currently run beneath the existing bridge. It will also provide access for contractors and emergency services, but will not be open to the public.
A long-reach excavator will use a specialist attachment to crush the existing concrete, and the crash-deck – being installed under the bridge – will catch the fall-out. The debris will then be safely removed and disposed of. The existing granite piers, which have supported the bridge for many years, will remain. The new structure on top has been designed to retain the character of the existing bridge, including its curved alignment and arches.
‘We’ve had to be very sympathetic to the aesthetics of the original bridge,’ said Mr Armstrong.
‘From a distance, it will look like a new bridge, but it will mimic the same sort of characteristic.’
Improvements will include resurfacing, and slightly raised handrails to meet current safety standards.
Mr Armstrong said the project was an exciting opportunity.
‘As a civil engineer by background, you don’t get many bridges in Guernsey, if any at all,’ he said, ‘so to be able to build one is really exciting.’
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