New bridge built to connect Avenham and Miller Parks with Preston Train Station is open

The bridge, in East Cliff, replaces the demolished Bailey Bridge and is where Vicars Bridge stood until 2013.

It runs over an old railway line and has extra capacity for weight bearing allowing it to serve vehicles and pedestrians.

The bridge is also part of “a long-standing ambition” to create a cycle route to link Avenham and Miller Parks and South Ribble to Preston Railway Station and the city centre.

It is also part of the wider development which includes the former Park Hotel by the Lancashire County Pension Fund.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “The new bridge is part of the redevelopment of the prominent East Cliff site, including the former Park Hotel, by the Lancashire County Pension Fund.

“The replacement of the bridge supports the wider redevelopment of this site, and will help to unlock the long-standing ambition for a cycle link between the park and railway station to support active travel opportunities into the city centre.”

Early plans for the subsequent cycle link could mean any future cycle path would run underneath the bridge in East Cliff.

Meanwhile the bridge is also seen as helping to unlock the future of the development of the former Park Hotel, ultimately restoring it to its former glory.