Trent footbridge lifted into place
A lift plan arranged by Balfour Beatty, Mammooet and Briton Fabricators has been successfully completed in Nottingham, ahead of the 87m river crossing’s opening in spring 2026.
The bridge will be the flagship, and final project to come out of Nottingham City Council’s Transforming Cities Fund programme, which began in 2020 following a successful bid for £160m+ of central government funding for projects encouraging inter-city connectivity and lower carbon journeys.
NCC said that the bridge was lifted into place by a huge CC6800 crawler crane, which rose 75m into the sky – the crane arrived onsite in sections last week and was carefully erected using other cranes.
Yesterday morning – 10 November – the crane lifted the bridge from its supports and began slowly moving into position to swing the bridge over the Trent.
The weight of the bridge meant that the crane was counterbalanced and sat on a specially built tracks designed to carry its weight.
Nottingham’s skyline thus has a new landmark, although the work programme still requires the installation of ramps, steps and walkways and a smaller bridge over Trent Basin as well as landscaping and planting.
Once completed, the new walking and cycling bridge will form an important part of Nottingham’s active travel network – enabling new connections and routes that will be especially useful for sports fans and those wanting to take advantage of amenities on both sides of the river.
Cllr Linda Woodings, executive member for regional development, growth and transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “This is a big milestone moment for our project to build a new walking and cycling bridge over the river Trent – it was thrilling to be at the riverside and see the new bridge land on its supports just as planned.
“I want to say a huge thank you to all the many people involved and I know I speak for everyone locally when I say that I can’t wait to try it out come spring.”
Completion is expected in spring. Credit: Nottingham City Council
Sunil Karra, project director at Balfour Beatty, said: “We’re extremely proud to have safely and successfully completed this major milestone today, with the new 175-tonne bridge now in position across the River Trent. This complex bridge lift was made possible through detailed planning and close collaboration with our project partners and the Council.
“We now look forward to completing the remaining works, and connecting communities on both sides of the river.”
Rushcliffe Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for leisure & wellbeing, ICT & member development, Cllr Jonathan Wheeler said: “It is good to see another major step towards the opening of the bridge that will create more connectivity for residents on both sides of the river for further opportunities to travel in a more sustainable way.
“Creating this new link for cyclists and pedestrians will create easier access to nearby open spaces in Lady Bay and West Bridgford and our local sports grounds and leisure facilities, encouraging more people to make lower carbon journeys.”
