New Lancashire bridge on track for spring opening

CGI image of how the final bridge will look

A new £6.6m bridge to replace a 200-year-old wooden structure in Lancashire is due to be completed by the spring of 2026, a council has said.

The new bridge, which will link Avenham Park in Preston city centre with Penwortham in South Ribble, will replace the historic tram bridge that was closed in 2019 due to safety fears.

Work began on the new bridge last year but had to be paused over the winter because of poor weather and breeding salmon in the River Ribble.

Preston City Councillor Valerie Wise said: "Good progress is being made and the opening is being planned for spring of next year."

Work is underway on the first piers for the bridge

Sections of the bridge, being built by Eric Wright Civil Engineering, will be lifted by crane into position this autumn.

Company spokesman Anthony Mulligan said they were "on schedule".

He added: "We paid a visit last week to the workshop in East Lancashire, where we saw the bridge being fabricated.

"We saw two sections of the bridge, there's two others set to be manufactured in the coming months."

Meanwhile, the final colour palette for the bridge and its decking have been announced.

The steelwork will be in black/grey while the decking will be made from a durable brown material.

The project team said this would "reflect the bridge's modern engineering while nodding to the heritage and landscape of Avenham Park".