A TOWN’s long-awaited bridge will arrive next week.

Cumbria County Council will welcome the new Gooseholme footbridge into Kendal on Tuesday. 

The bridge will arrive in four pieces, weighing 55 tonnes, which will be assembled on site, in the Story Contracting compound on Gooseholme Park.

It will travel up the M6, then along the A591 into Kendal, and then to the Story compound at Gooseholme Park. 

This will take place in the early morning in order to minimise disruption and should be no louder than a refuge wagon, according to Cumbria County Council.

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Following this, a large crane weighing 1,000 tonnes will arrive at the site on Tuesday, July 19, for the bridge lift scheduled on Wednesday, July 20, and it will depart the site on the following days.

More information on the route through Kendal will be announced closer to the delivery date.

Cumbria County Council is managing the £2 million project to construct the replacement footbridge, with funding from the Environment Agency, South Lakeland District Council, and Sustrans.

The new Gooseholme bridge will create a fully accessible traffic-free link to Kendal town centre.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “This marks another milestone for the county council’s replacement bridge project for Kendal. The lifting of this bridge, on Wednesday 20 July, will be a memorable day for everyone.

“I would like to thank the Kendal community for their patience and support for this project, and we all look forward to the grand opening in the autumn.

“I would also like to thank the Story Contracting team for all their efforts, the Environment Agency, South Lakeland District Council, and Sustrans for their support, and Cumbria County Council’s infrastructure team, for their hard work on this project.

“We will be filming the bridge lift for our website and social media channels; however, if anyone wants to witness the bridge lift, we urge them to use caution and common sense when positioning themselves.”