News

Key dates and exactly how new River Trent bridge will be assembled as work gathers speed

By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter

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Works on the first new bridge to open over the River Trent since the 1950s are already two months underway – and now Nottingham City Council has released a video demonstrating how it will be put together. The huge project, which has been planned for years, got underway in May after being given the green light by planners in April 2024.

It’s already been revealed that the bridge – named the Waterside bridge – will not be built on the river, but instead will be assembled from pre-fabricated parts on the river’s edge before being lifted into place. The parts are currently being stored ready for use eight miles away from the Trent at Briton Fabricators on Watnall Road in Hucknall.

The huge arch which will form the centrepiece of the construction is currently towering over homes in the Nottinghamshire town, and left residents baffled when it first appeared on the skyline. But while it remains there, preparatory work on site, by the water, has been taking place.

The first step involved the installation of a haul road on the south side, to allow access for construction vehicles between Holme Road in Lady Bay and the river. That took about three weeks, before vegetation was cleared over the course of a couple of days in June.

In July, work began on preparing the ground for foundations to be installed and for cranes to be operated. A temporary wall parallel with the river’s edge, to protect workers from falling into the water, was also built.

Currently, piles – structural columns – are being planted into the ground  as foundations for the ramp and stairs which will lead up to the bridge, as well as for the abutment which holds the bridge in place at either end.

At the same time, over the past three months, work has also been taking place on the north side. Piles were installed there in June and July.

In the next few days, an abutment will be installed for a new small bridge over the basin of water between Poulton Drive and Portside Street, making it easier for those in the Meadow Lane industrial estate to access the main bridge.

By mid-September, the bridge itself will have begun to take shape by the river. Temporary ground will be installed over the course of the next two weeks, before the bridge’s deck is assembled in three sections between August 22 and 28.

After the north side’s main bridge abutment is installed, the arch will be put in place using temporary trestles between September and October. But it’ll still be a few months until it is over the water and can be walked along.

It won’t be until November that the crane which will lift it – one of the world’s largest – is constructed itself from five parts. Then the bridge should appear over the river on November 10. The basin bridge will be put down after that, before the north and south side ramps are installed in December, plantation and street furniture installed, and construction debris is cleared.

If the dates on the video stand true, the bridge will be ready for use in February 2026.