New Boston footbridge design selected

Work on the bridge is due to start in mid-2013

An outline design for a new footbridge in the centre of a Lincolnshire town has been selected.

Three ideas were put forward by the county council for the £600,000 crossing at the River Haven in Boston.

In a public consultation the high bowstring design beat competition from a lower arch and a more traditional concept.

It will replace the current St Botolph's Bridge which engineers have said has structural problems.

Planners said the new bridge would be 35m (115ft) long with a 15m (49ft) ramp to aid wheelchair and pushchair access.

European Union grant

It will also be wider than the current bridge, with lighting built into the handrail.

The county council said it would continue to work with Boston Borough Council's planners and conservation architect on the detail and exact design before submitting a detailed planning application to the borough council by the middle of this year.

Construction work is expected to start expected to start mid 2013 and finish by the end of the year.

It will be jointly funded by the county council and a European Union grant.