Exclusive:The remarkable transformation of one of Edinburgh's most famous bridges revealed

Wraps to come off historic crossing between Old and New Towns

After eight years being shrouded in white plastic and scaffolding, one of Edinburgh’s most famous bridges is to finally re-emerge with stunning new paintwork after an £86 million overhaul.

The project to refurbish North Bridge, which spans Waverley Station between the Old and New Towns, will cost four times as much and take four times as long as the original estimate when it is completed next year because it was found to be in significantly worse condition than expected.

But a wow factor lies in store for those missing the sight of the familiar arches for so long when the wraps come off the structure, as The Scotsman saw at first hand in a behind-the-scenes tour of the work on Wednesday.

The original Victorian ornamentation on the sides of the bridge, such as hanging fruit and flowers, shine out in gold, red, blue and black hues.

City council transport convener Stephen Jenkinson helping with the painting work on North Bridge on Wednesday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Meantime, a memorial erected in 1906 to the King’s Own Scottish Borderers on the bridge’s eastern parapet is being painstakingly restored using hot water and toothbrush-size tools.

Comprising figures of four soldiers, it commemorates the regiment’s part in conflicts including in Afghanistan, Egypt and South Africa between 1878 and 1902.

City council transport convener Stephen Jenkinson and Balfour Beatty project manager Rory McFadden with a memorial to the King's Own Scottish Borderers being refurbished on the bridge | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Two-way traffic on the bridge was restored in March after a six-week northbound closure.

However, only one third of the width of the bridge remains in use, with two narrow traffic lanes and the pavement on the west side open for pedestrians.

Only one third of the bridge width is open during the latest phase o f the work | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Once the project is complete, the social enterprise Hidden Cities, which trains homeless people as tour guides, is planning to add the bridge to the tours of the city it offers.

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In one of the most remarkable aspects to the project, a 165m long access platform for future maintenance of the underside of the bridge has been assembled from 60,000 pieces that were passed through 0.9m long manhole covers in the bridge deck.

That was because the station roof beneath was not strong enough to bear their weight

The bridge was completed in 1897 as part of the expansion of the station, replacing one built more than a century earlier. The Scotsman moved into purpose-built offices at the south end of the bridge in 1904, which is now occupied by The Scotsman Hotel.

North Bridge in 1901 with the North British Hotel - now the Balmoral - under construction | Archive

The bridge was designed by Sir William Arrol, whose Forth Bridge opened in 1890.

Steelwork on the eastern half of the length of the bridge came from the north east of England, while slightly heavier steelwork for the western half was made in Glasgow.

Erecting scaffolding on North Bridge for the refurbishment work took one year and eight months alone and comprised more than 185 miles of scaffold tubes - if you lined them all up they would stretch beyond Inverness.

Scaffolding has enveloped North Bridge since 2018 | John Devlin/The Scotsman

That provided access to some areas of the category A listed bridge for the first since it was built, with the work amounting to its first major refurbishment since 1933.

City council transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “This is one of the main arterial routes north and south in the city, so it is hugely important as a key transport link, and a historic part of Edinburgh’s architecture.

“In 2018, the council agreed to a refurbishment plan based on a series of inspections which identified structural defects that required substantial investment to make it safe.

“It has taken longer than anyone had hoped. It’s a hugely complex project and over 90 years since the last major refurbishment.

“But we’ve maintained access to the bridge and haven’t closed it at any point, which has elongated the delivery of the work.

“It’s also above one of the busiest rail stations in the country so it has been very important the project has taken that account.

New paintwork on the west side of the bridge | John Devlin/The Scotsman

“The finished paintwork is quite spectacular. When the scaffolding comes down, on a sunny day people will be able to see this bridge from quite far away.”

The refurbishment has included to the structural steelwork and concrete bridge deck, blasting and painting of the steelwork, and the reinstallation of the iron facade.

Rory McFadden, project manager for Balfour Beatty, which is doing the work, said: “Unfortunately, the bridge was in much worse condition than anyone could have expected to find it.

“There had been no substantial works carried out since the 1990s and all the structural steelwork was covered in a thick bituminous paint. It wasn’t until we started removing that that we could understand the true condition of the steelwork which was obscured behind it.

“We’ve started applying the final gold paint to the structure, which has given everybody a bit of a morale boost to get it over the line.

“The work should be substantially complete by spring 2026 and we’ll slowly unveil the bridge by moving the scaffolds, and should be off the structure by that summer.”

The project was originally expected to take two years and cost £22m but the council said the final figure would not be known until the works were complete next year.

A council spokesperson added: “We know that the project has taken longer than we had initially anticipated, and are grateful to the local business community, residents and commuters for their patience.

“As we gained full access and work progressed, it became clear that the bridge needed more repairs than initially anticipated.

“This uncovered significantly more deterioration than first anticipated and the complexity of bringing a Victorian structure up to 21st century standards, without compromising its historic integrity, has proven challenging, technically and logistically.”