Clifton Suspension Bridge: what's new after its big refurb

If you've been past the Clifton Suspension Bridge recently, you may have spotted the work that has just wrapped up. Completed in October 2026, it is the most extensive refurbishment in the bridge's 160-year history. It started in April 2024 and was paid for entirely from bridge tolls, as the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust is a charity that receives no money from local or central government.

Most of the effort went into the ironwork. Specialist engineers from Taziker hand-painted more than 4,000 original iron chain links, many of them over 180 years old. The new paint system is expected to protect the ironwork from corrosion for the next 20 to 25 years. The bridge sits in a tidal gorge, where salt in the air can attack iron. Bridge Master Tristan Ralph has described the chains as hard to reach and fiddly to paint, with each one cleaned by hand before repainting, and toothbrushes used to get into the awkward corners. The colour matches the existing one, so the bridge should look much as it always has from the ground.

The other big change is the lighting. The old system had expired and was unreliable. The new one is designed to reduce light pollution and use energy more efficiently, and it can be set up for themed displays marking special occasions, cultural events and moments in the bridge's history. The lights were already used during the Bristol Light Festival in February and during British Science Week. Throughout the works, the bridge stayed open to traffic and pedestrians wherever possible, although one of the two pedestrian walkways was closed at times while the chains and parapet were painted.

Getting across is straightforward. The bridge is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Pedestrians and cyclists cross for free, while motorists pay a £1 contactless toll, with no booking needed. If you want to know more about the structure, the free museum on the Leigh Woods side in North Somerset is open daily from 10am to 5pm, closed only on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It has a gift shop and toilets, and its displays explain how the bridge was built and how it is looked after today, including photographs of workers who walked the chains without safety equipment. The museum's collections can also be browsed online.

For a closer look, Hard Hat tours of the vaults below the Leigh Woods tower run between Easter and October and are open to adults and families, with children aged seven and over. Free weekend tours take place on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays at 2pm, all year round. Tours can be booked online. A Family Lantern Tour is scheduled for 31 October 2026, so if you fancy seeing the bridge after dark, that's the one to keep an eye on.