The Bridge had lasted nearly one hundred years when engineers surveying it discovered that a laser beam would not pass unimpeded through the length of the Bridge. This meant that somewhere the reinforcing steel had anaerobically disintegrated. They could not certify that the Bridge was safe. It was closed overnight in February 2005.
In June 2005 a scaffold was erected across and above the Bridge to allow the Signal Station to stay open. The scaffolding had a lifespan of 3-5 years. After years of anxious campaigning to raise the huge funding needed for a new Bridge, Fáilte Ireland, Cork County Council and the Commissioners of Irish Lights agreed to build a new Bridge in June 2008.
The original Bridge was demolished and reconstructed from October 2009- December 2010. It was opened by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport