The Navvies footbridge in Workington is set to re-open rejoining communities in Allerdale, west Cumbria.
Local residents, cut off from each other following the 2009 floods, now have a £1.7m bridge with which to cross the River Derwent. It will reopen on 10 September 2011 at noon.
The original Navvies bridge was destroyed beyond repair and a new span structure has been lifted into place.
A steel bow-arch bridge was designed following a public consultation which allowed locals to give their views on how the structure should look.
The 96 tonne bridge spans 60 metres over the River Derwent and is designed to carry both pedestrians and cyclists, offering an important connection between the community of Northside and Workington town centre.
Cumbria County Council Chairman John Woolley will cut the ribbon along with cabinet member for highways Cllr Tony Markley and representatives from Sustrans and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
Cllr Tony Markley said: “I’d like to thank the local people, not only for their co-operation and feedback in the consultation process, but also for their patience as this highly anticipated bridge has been constructed.
“The people of Workington told us they wanted a new bridge that would be attractive to look at from the surrounding open areas and I believe that we have given them that. The £1.06m funding from Cumbria County Council has been a significant factor in being able to drive this project forward, and without this funding this new high quality structure simply would not exist.”
Funding for the new bridge included £375,000 from the Big Lottery Fund through Sustrans as part of a national project to provide walking and cycling routes for everyday journeys in communities across UK.
Tim Temple, project manager from Sustrans said: “It’s fantastic to see the replacement Navvies bridge open for use, providing a direct, traffic-free link into the centre of Workington from Northside, allowing local people to once again make more of their everyday journeys on foot or by bike.
“Sustrans has been delighted to work alongside Cumbria County Council to help the re-development of Workington following the flooding, and we know that the this bridge is going to play an important part in getting the town back to normal.