This is how many people saw the opening of Preston's new tram bridge - and why the structure is 'so important'

It is estimated that more than 4,000 people gathered on the banks of the River Ribble to see the opening of Preston’s new ‘Old Tram Bridge’ – and then to be amongst the first to walk across it.

That was the number that Preston City Council suggested had witnessed the momentous moment on Friday, when crowds vied for a vantage point as the historic pedestrian connection between Avenham Park and Penwortham was restored – more than seven years after being unexpectedly cut.

The previous structure was condemned in February 2019 when an inspection revealed it was at risk of sudden collapse.

With no indication at that time of where the money might come from to replace the much-loved landmark, the future looked bleak for the bridge – which first opened in 1804 and has had several incarnations over the last 222 years.

However, the challenges of both funding and, more recently, constructing a replacement were ultimately overcome – and the focus of the opening ceremony, on Lancashire’s warmest day of the year so far, was firmly on celebrating that achievement.

Some of those who came out to witness the proceedings climbed up steep embankments and settled down amidst bushes to make sure they did not miss a second.

There was also a heartwarming nod to what the bridge means to the people of Preston and South Ribble – with memories and pictures from members of the public tied to the trees that line the leafy park route to the crossing.

Shortly after 12.30pm, Preston’s newly-installed mayor, Nweeda Khan, cut the ribbon on the city-side of the bridge, allowing invited dignitaries to be the first to traverse the river as part of a formal procession to mark the occasion, led by Preston Town Crier John Spencer-Barnes.

In their wake were some eye-catching sights, including stilt-walkers and unicyclists – hammering home the message that the bridge is open to those on two feet and any number of self-propelled wheels. As a designated bridleway, it can also be used by horses – although none were invited for a formal first trot across because of the busy nature of the event.

Cllr Khan was greeted on the South Ribble side of the river by Penwortham mayor Tracey Flannery.

Preston City Council’s deputy leader Valerie Wise said the bridge was “so important to Preston” and “much better than the last one”.

“I used to live near here and took my kids across [it], walking, cycling [and] rollerskating – it’s a real part of Preston and I’m delighted so many people are here to see it reopened.

“It’s also a good link for people on the other side of the river to come over and see [the] wonderful things that we have here in Preston, like the Harris Museum, Animate [cinema and leisure complex] and the market,” Cllr Wise said.

The final bill for the new bridge came in at £8m. The project formed part of Preston’s bid for cash from what was the government’s Leveling Up Fund back in 2022 – with the city ultimately receiving £20m for a series of schemes, the tram bridge among them. That funding has covered the lion’s share of the cost, but £1m was also contributed by Lancashire County Council, as the local highways authority.

Asked by the Lancashire Post whether the cross-river link was a good use of public funds when there was an alternative – privately-owned, but publicly-accessible – bridge nearby, Cllr Wise said it “absolutely” merited the spend.

“It’s symbolic, [as demonstrated by] the fact that we’ve got so many people here today. I think this is something that’s really important – and the other bridge is nowhere near as good as this one,” she added.

With a raft of potential initiatives competing to be part of Preston’s Levelling Up Fund pitch, it was far from a foregone conclusion that a replacement bridge would make the cut – and that’s where the Friends of Tram Bridge group came in.

A campaign was mounted in support of creating a new structure, with a petition to that end attracting 3,000 signatures.

Reflecting on the sometimes tortuous journey towards securing a replacement bridge, Friends group chair Glenn Cookson said the turnout to see it opened demonstrated “how iconic” it had been in all its forms over the past two centuries.

“It really does mean a lot to the people of Preston – it’s rich in heritage and the utility of it is so important,” Glenn said.

He also predicted that the 2026 version would get more use than its predecessor.

“The other side of the river [in South Ribble] is being further developed, there are [many] more houses than there were 10 years ago.”

While the narrative around the bridge has so often been about the benefits it brings to Preston, it is of course equally important to residents across the water.

South Ribble Borough Council leader Matthew Tomlinson paid tribute to Preston City Council for taking the lead on restoring the “absolutely vital link”, which he said showcased both areas at their best.

“It’s a beautiful part of South Ribble on that side of the bridge and it’s a beautiful part of Preston on this side – and it ought to be a place that people can really come and enjoy themselves.

“For the people of South Ribble, it’s…really important for anybody who walks or, like myself, cycles into Preston on a regular basis. I’ve missed it terribly,” Cllr Tomlinson said.

He is not alone. Walton-le-Dale resident Hilda Harkins told the Post she had been an avid user before the barriers went up seven years ago.

“It was my way [into] Preston – and I only had to cross three roads to get from my house to the middle of [the city]. It was just a lovely car-free way to get to town [and the new bridge] is gorgeous,” Hilda said.

Providing an alternative, so-called ‘active travel’ route between Preston and South Ribble was one of the key components of the bid for funding for the new bridge – and the hope is that it will encourage more journeys to be made on foot or by bike which would otherwise have involved a motor vehicle.

However, for some, just the sight of the bridge being back open – providing the reassuring presence they have known all their lives – will be more than enough.

One of the bridge-related memories attached to the Avenham Park trees came from “born and bred” Prestonian Sandra Broadley, who said she was “devastated” to see the crossing closed on a return trip to her home city after the Old Tram Bridge had been cordoned off.

“But to see it today is wonderful,” she said.

In Avenham Park on Friday, that sentiment felt like one with which the whole of Preston and South Ribble agreed.

Can you build us a bridge, please?

Not long after the cash to replace the Old Tram Bridge was confirmed in January 2023, Eric Wright Civil Engineering took a call.

Gavin Hulme, now the managing director of the Walton Summit-based firm, said it amounted to an order from Preston City Council for a new structure.

And so began the three-and-a-half year process that has culminated in the age-old cross-Ribble connection once again being open.

One of the most memorable moments of the job came when the four sections of the bridge – which is 130 metres long and has a frame weight of 150 tonnes – were craned into place.

However, Gavin said that was not the biggest of the “physical and practical” challenges his construction team faced.

“The site is pretty much landlocked – it’s over a mile away from the nearest road, so we had to create a temporary access track. And of course the River Ribble at this point is tidal, so we’re not only battling flooding and weather coming downstream, [but] also battling high tides when they come upstream as well,” Gavin explained.

He told the Post that the biggest problem that they overcame was that posed by working in the river in October 2024, during a period when “storms and flooding increased – and…there were particularly high tides at that point”.

Meanwhile, Ed Dablin, director of DYSE structural engineers, whose firm worked on the final design of the bridge, said he was proud to see the finished product in place.

Working from conceptual designs by Preston-based – and aptly-named – architectural firm Studio John Bridge, Ed said his firm had been behind the “wave-type form of conservative spans” that is now the defining feature of the new crossing.

“I don’t think we ever set out to do anything that might be considered iconic,” he explained.

“Ultimately, we’re trying to make sure that the form follows the function, so it’s a continuous bridge [and] we’re trying to make the bridge deeper where it’s most efficient [for it] to be deeper.

“We believe that a bridge that does that will naturally look beautiful… and it’s been an absolute honour to see the people of Preston enjoying it today. I’ve heard nothing but positive comments.”

Bridge backstory

Preston City Council chief executive Adrian Phillips took VIP guests at the opening of the new bridge on a canter through the long history of those that came before it.

He said that it had initially been built at the turn of the 19th century. to carry “packhorse trams between the Leeds-Liverpool Canal at Walton Summit and the Lancaster Canal terminus in central Preston”.

“The tramway itself closed in 1858 as a result of competition from the railways – and the bridge even then was being dubbed the ‘Old Tram Bridge’.

“It was bought by the then Corporation of Preston in 1872 to preserve it and for public access. The bridge was rebuilt by the Corporation in the 1890s when the stone abutments and decorative pillars were installed – and you’ll see them still there today.

“It was damaged by floods in the 1930s and the old timber supports were replaced by less delightful concrete imitations. The deck-top of the bridge was replaced in 1964. So I think it’s fair to say that there was nothing left of the original by then, it was long gone.

“But over those many years, the bridge has become enormously important and a much-loved crossing in a great location for walking, cycling [and] to visit parks and green space to the north and south banks of the River Ribble,” Mr. Phillips added.

Looking to the future, he told the audience that he had been assured the new bridge had been “designed to last at least 100 years”, before quipping: “Did we get a warranty?”