Planned maintenance work will take place on the Millennium Lifting Bridge in Douglas Harbour from Monday, February 9, requiring a series of overnight closures throughout the week.

The Millennium Bridge, in operation since 1999, relies on two large bespoke hydraulic cylinders to lift the structure.

As part of its long-term maintenance programme, these cylinders are required to be replaced or refurbished after approximately 25 to 30 years of use.

In February 2025, the first of the original cylinders was removed and replaced with a newly manufactured unit supplied by the bridge’s original specialist engineers in the Netherlands.

That removed cylinder was then transported to the original manufacturing facility for full refurbishment.

Next week, the second of the original cylinders will be taken out and replaced with this refurbished unit.

A Department of Infrastructure spokesperson said: ‘A staged approach has been used to minimise disruption to bridge operations and manage costs by only requiring the purchase of one new cylinder. Working at night will help minimise disruption to commuters and businesses in the city centre.’

To allow the works to be carried out safely, the following closures will be in place:

- 8pm to 6am, from Monday, February 9 ending no later than 6am on Friday.

During these periods, no pedestrian or vehicle access will be permitted across the Millennium Bridge. Traffic will be diverted via the Stone Bridge at the top of the harbour.

During the maintenance works, access for vessels to the inner harbour will be restricted. The Harbours Division has issued a Notice to Mariners, which is available online.

Once removed, the second original cylinder will also undergo full refurbishment in the Netherlands and will be retained on-island to provide resilience in the event of future breakdowns and routine maintenance.

The work is being carried out by teams from the Department of Infrastructure’s Highway Services and Harbours Divisions, supported by local crane and haulage contractors.