£1m bridge enhances cycle route

The bridge was transported to the site in several pieces

A £1m bridge was being lifted into place on Saturday as part of an upgrade of a popular cycle route which runs from Cumbria to Sunderland.

The 67-tonne, 60-metre-long structure will replace the old railway bridge over the A6076, in Stanley, Co Durham.

As well as carrying the Sustrans Coast to Coast (C2C) route between Workington and Sunderland the bridge will also be used by pedestrians.

It will be lifted into place by a 1,000-tonne crane.

Tourism boost

The new bridge was too big to transport to the site, at Shield Row in Stanley, in one piece, and arrived in several parts before being welded into its final form.

Once in place, the new bridge will become the responsibility of Durham County Council, which also designed its supports and the road layout.

Cumbria County Council has spent £400,000 on improvements to the C2C cycleway as part of a £21m land reclamation programme to boost employment and tourism throughout the county.

On average between 12,000 and 15,000 cyclists complete the route every year.