News / Prince Street Bridge
Swing bridge fault disrupting ‘hundreds’ of ferry bookings
A ferry service has said a swing bridge fault is affecting “hundreds” of customers.
Prince Street Bridge needs urgent repair work as the mechanism that allows it to lift is broken.
Work began with the inspection of the press on Friday – but Bristol City Council have not stated how long it will take to mend the crossing.
is needed now More than ever
In the meantime, while the Grade II listed structure remains open for traffic, some boats used for cruises are unable to pass under.
Today we started urgent work to fix Prince Street Bridge so it can swing open for boats again.
The bridge is expected to remain in use for pedestrians, cyclists & other traffic, but we’re unable open it for mariners until we’ve fixed the problem.
More: https://t.co/9nReVNA0Xp pic.twitter.com/sjbbmPpohd
— Bristol City Council (@BristolCouncil) May 20, 2022
Bristol Packet said the breakage is disrupting hundreds of bookings.
Tower Belle, which has a 4m beam, is too large to sail beneath the bridge, meaning that it cannot access beyond the western portion of the harbour.
Company director Giles Thomson told Bristol24/7: “It is causing inconvenience from having to contact hundreds of bookings to tell them they can’t do what they booked – through no fault of our own.”
Prince Street Bridge was shut between 2015 and 2017 after it was found to have become “heavily corroded”. The project cost £1.2m, three times as much as was expected.
Five years on, a spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “We urgently need to repair a mechanism that allows Prince Street Bridge to swing open so our boating community can use this waterway.
“With a listed bridge such as this, we need expert engineers to assess the heritage mechanisms and carry out these essential repairs.”
Bristol Packet offers city dock cruises as well as tours further afield on the Avon
Despite this, Thomson remains positive about the summer – the company’s busiest period for trade.
He said: “Everyone is being quite sympathetic and very accommodating and most people seem to be keeping most of their bookings.
“We will just muddle through this summer. We have been here before with the bridge breaking and lots of other things that have got in the way of our business over the years – you get knocked down and you just carry on.”
Bristol City Council are embarking on a ‘bridge improvement programme’ – affecting at least six Bristol bridges.
Shopkeepers by Gaol Ferry Bridge, to be closed on June 6, are concerned about the impact of its closure – as the footfall they rely on for trade will be axed to zero.
The council said it will update mariners about Prince Street Bridge as soon as it knows more.
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read more: The story behind Bristol’s almost identical bridges
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