Final touches being added to new Preston Tram Bridge site - this is when it will open

The final three sections of the 150-tonne bridge have been carefully positioned into place using a 75-metre-high crane with a jib length of 114 metres.

The first section of the bridge, the land-based part of the bridge, was manoeuvred into place on Sunday, November 30, followed by the second part on December 2. The third section was lifted into place on Sunday, December 7, and the fourth then lifted into place on Monday, December 8.

Preston City Council said: “We are delighted that the fourth and final section has been lifted into place. The Tram Bridge now stands proud and whole and is set to stand for decades to come”.

What happens now?

Now that the sections have been lifted into place, the crane will be de-rigged, and final positioning works will take place to secure the bridge into place. The bridge will remain closed until Spring 2026 whilst surrounding works are complete, including the resurfacing of the tram ridge road.

The council spokesman added: “Though the bridge remains closed until Spring 2026 as restoration and improvements continue, this is a significant milestone for this historical project.”

An exact date for the opening has not been given.

The ‘Old Tram Bridge’ - connecting Avenham Park in Preston to Penwortham in South Ribble - closed unexpectedly in February 2019 amid fears it could suddenly collapse after a series of serious defects were uncovered - and it was eventually demolished last summer, in half the time expected, due to its poor state.

Preparation work for the latest iteration of the bridge - which has been in place in various forms since 1804 - has been under way ever since.

The replacement Tram Bridge has been delivered by Preston City Council using part of its £20 million grant awarded by the UK Government, with an additional £1 million from Lancashire County Council.