Balfour Beatty to build Trent footbridge

The lattice arch Waterside Bridge will be 85-metres long and 20-metres high from deck to peak, weighing in at 160 tonnes.

The new foot and cycle bridge – the first built in the city since the 1950s – will link the new Trent Basin community on the north bank, where 350 homes are being built, with sports facilities to the south.

Balfour Beatty is expecting to move on site next month after site clearance work is complete, with piling beginning in April.

The bridge will be built on site using large, prefabricated sections of steel arriving from Briton Fabricators, based eight miles away in Hucknall. According to the construction programme, the completed bridge and basin bridge will be craned into place in November by Dutch heavy-lifting specialist Mammoet.

Installation of ramps, steps and landscaping will take place over the winter ahead of the bridge opening in spring 2026.

Multi-disciplinary consultant Pick Everard is also part of the scheme, delivering project and cost management, and health and safety services.

Pick Everard associate director Ricky Lee said: “This is a landmark scheme for Nottingham City Council and the wider community, delivering improved cycle and pedestrian connections and wider social benefits across the city. The bridge itself will be one of longest single-spanning network arch bridges for cyclists and pedestrians in the UK, and naturally a project of this scale requires extensive collaboration across various stakeholders to ensure it is a successful and rewarding scheme for residents and those visiting the city.”

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