New £8.3m Cygnet Bridge hailed as a real 'landmark' and 'important for the future of Peterborough'
The building of the new £8.3m Cygnet Bridge in Peterborough has been hailed as a future landmark for the city and well as important for the future growth of the city.
Initial work on the pedestrian bridge over the River Nene started last month with main construction currently taking place and the project expected to take around 12 months to complete.
The bridge has been planned to provide a ore direct, pedestrian and cyclist friendly route between the residential developments, businesses and football stadium on the south of the river to to the city centre and North Embankment, home to the Key Theatre, Lido and ARU Peterborough’s University Campus.
The Council is also anticipating wider usage in the upcoming years when future projects such as the planned Youth Zone and swimming pool on the Embankment have been delivered, as well as the food and drinks, known as the Goods Shed.
Councillor Angus Ellis, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: I am very excited, this will be an essential and crucial link for the people of Peterborough between Fletton Quays and the Embankment. It will be a really good safe link for pedestrians and cyclists rather than having to negotiate a smaller bridge next to a very busy road.
"It’s perhaps a little bit hard to envisage right now but we have to remember what it will bring in the future when the swimming pool and Goods Shed is built. It will be a real landmark for Peterborough.”
Mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Paul Bristow said: “This is just the start of what I want to see here at the Embankment.
"The swimming pool will be coming soon. I want to see a new community stadium here and all sorts of facilities to use this space much more effectively and this bridge is just the start of this.
"The Embankment is not used as much as it should be. Some of its current uses are not what we want to see in our city such as anti-social behaviour.
“Better connecting the south of the river to the Embankment and city centre is an important step for the future of Peterborough. Cygnet Bridge puts infrastructure in place ahead of the further regeneration and development this city needs and deserves.”
Work to install piling platforms for the bridge on both sides of the river is currently being carried out. Main piling works, which will see columns drilled deep into the ground creating stable foundations for the bridge, will take place over the coming weeks.
The total project budget is estimated to be £8.3 million. The Combined Authority has contributed £5.4 million, The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has pledged £2 million, and the remainder will come from the council's own redevelopment budget.