Landmark moment as river crossing lifted into place

Visitors watched a huge crane lift the new bridge into place

Dozens of people gathered as Nottingham's first river crossing in more than 65 years was lifted into place.

The 85m (278ft) Waterside Bridge, which has been several years in the making, will link the Trent Basin area of the city and Lady Bay in Rushcliffe.

It is the first crossing over the River Trent in Nottingham since the installation of Clifton Bridge in the 1950s.

On Monday, a huge crane lifted the structure into place.

Parts of the bridge had been arriving on a construction site by the river over several months

Originally planned to open in 2023, Waterside Bridge was hit by various delays, but construction finally began at the start of this year.

The £18m project has been paid for using grant funding secured from the government through the Transforming Cities Fund.

Visitors were advised to watch the bridge being lifted into place from the north side of the river, at the Trent Basin estate, while a large section of path on the south side was closed.

Now the main structure is in place, there is still work to do before it is due to open in spring 2026, including installing ramps, steps and walkways.

Nottingham City council has called the bridge "a new landmark".

Councillor Linda Woodings said the installation of the bridge was a "much needed and wanted" project

Councillor Linda Woodings, who is responsible for transport at the authority, said it was a "historic day".

"We've all been building up to this day," she said.

"The next big day will be opening but for me, this is the most exciting.

"This is an incredible feat of engineering and I'm incredibly in awe of the skill of the civil engineers and crane operator, who have done this so smoothly."

David Nicholson-Cole said watching the bridge being lifted was "fantastic"

David Nicholson-Cole, a member of a cycling campaign group called Pedals, said it had been campaigning for a new bridge "for 30 years".

"This is going to make such a magical difference to our [cycling] networks," he added.

Mr Nicholson-Cole, a former architecture professor, added: "If I had a second life, I would want to be an engineer doing things like this."