Newport Transporter Bridge visitor centre opening date

Plans for a new visitor centre at Newport's iconic Transporter Bridge were approved in April 2020, with a £12 million scheme put in place to protect the structure's future being one of only six operational Transporter bridges in the world.

The Friends of Newport Transporter Bridge group, which has been vital in promoting the landmark as a tourist attraction and heritage site, has said on their website that "the site will remain closed until Summer 2024 due to the restoration work and the construction of the new visitor centre."

Transporter Bridge visitor centre under construction in Newport (Image: Newport City Council)

The council said in August 2023 that the frame of the new building was in place. The phase after this would be to complete the exterior of the centre before starting work on the interior.

In December 2023, it was announced that although work was ongoing, the scale of the repair work and a sensitive “monitoring system” for contractors, meant “all work had to stop on the site” – including work inside the visitor centre.

That, and “adverse” weather, had proved obstacles to getting the project finished, officers told Newport City Council’s performance scrutiny committee for place and corporate, on Monday, December 11.

Inside the new visitor centre in Newport (Image: Newport City Council)

At the time, Tracey Brooks, the council’s head of regeneration and economic development, said the project was “really important” and its scale and nature meant delays were “almost inevitable, in a way”.

Progress of Newport Transporter Bridge visitor centre

Newport City Council produces a weekly road closures report. In this report, it mentions that works on the Usk Way Transporter Bridge site for the new visitor centre have been ongoing since September 26, 2022 and are scheduled to end on July 31, 2024.

Newport City Council have been contacted for a statement on the opening date.