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Guernsey deputy questions £6M price tag on Castle bridge repairs

A Guernsey deputy says he's determined to find out if the replacement of the Castle Emplacement bridge represents value for money.

In 2024, the Guernsey States approved a £7m budget to rebuild the failing bridge to Castle Cornet.

In December 2025, Guernsey Ports appointed Geomarine to carry out the work at an estimated cost of £6.2M.

Construction is expected to begin at the end of the 2026 visitor season and reopen ahead of summer 2027.

Deputy Rob Curgenven is questioning the cost.

"I did wonder why it would cost so much money for such a small span of the bridge, about ninety-five metres.

"It really comes down to, do we really need the arches or not?

"There are nine arches, and really, if we don't need the arches, then it could save a substantial amount of cost."

Deputy Curgenven says scrutiny could save taxpayer money.

"If we can draw attention to major capital projects here and there, and have a bit more scrutiny from deputies, and the public, and from the media, then hopefully in the long run we can save the taxpayer a little bit here, a little bit there, more there, more here, and so on."

Guernsey Ports has previously said the Geomarine tender was competitive and that replacing the bridge is essential because it has "exceeded its design life", leading to extra safety measures, including a ban on vehicle access since 2023.

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