THE contract for building the new Pooley Bridge has been awarded by Cumbria County Council to Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd.

The final design is innovative and is the only single span bridge of this type in the country.

The final cost will be in the region of £5m and work is currently scheduled to start on site in May, with a target completion date around late spring or early summer next year, but this completion date will be subject to factors such as the weather.

Keith Little, the county council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “This bridge is a very important project to the council and I am delighted that we are now at a stage of awarding the contract.

“The design is outstanding and I am looking forward to the day when we officially open it and allow this community to truly get back to their day to day business.

“All work to date including the design and the timescale has taken account of local feedback and we have specifically avoided disruption in their peak tourism season.”

Diane Bourne, managing director for Eric Wright Civil Engineering, said: “We’ve been working closely with the county council on the design for the new bridge for the last 12 months and we are delighted to also be appointed for the construction phase.

“Our team has a great deal of experience in bridge design and construction and we will ensure that the new Pooley Bridge, not only provides resilience against extreme bad weather in the future, but that it continues to connect the community for generations to come.”