Work starts on replacing historic tram bridge

Work on a £6.6m project to replace a historic tram bridge has begun five years after it was closed to the public.

The 200-year-old Preston bridge which links Avenham Park and Penwortham was shut in 2019 due to risk of collapse.

A campaign was launched to either repair or replace the bridge to its original form, with 3,000 people signing a petition calling for its reinstatement.

Lancashire County Council (LCC) said it hoped to keep disruption from the work "to a minimum".

The design for the new suspension-type bridge was revealed in March.

Chris Blackburn from Preston City Council said tree works have now been completed and machinery should be on site next week to build an access road.

"We really are getting cracking and there's been a hell of a lot of work going on in the background to get to this point," he said.

Chris Wilding from LCC said it was a "complex" project, as it was more than a mile from the nearest road, and the River Ribble is tidal.

"We realise it's going to cause some disruption in he area," he said. "But hopefully that will be kept to a minimum."

Glenn Cookson, from the Friends of the Old Tram Road Bridge Facebook group, said he was "super pleased" to see work start.

"I think the new design looks great, I don't think it's too dissimilar from the current structure.

"I think it's very sympathetic and very much in keeping with the rest of the park."

It is hoped the new bridge, funded by Levelling Up cash and LCC, will open next year.

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