Nottingham’s newest bridge is open for everyone to enjoy – almost seven decades after the last new major bridge over the Trent in the city opened.

Nottingham City Council Leader Councillor Neghat Khan cut the ribbon officially declaring the eye-catching 87 metre network arch bridge open, along with East Midlands Combined County Authority Mayor, Claire Ward.

Among the partners also in attendance were Councillors and representatives from Rushcliffe Borough Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Balfour Beatty, Britons Fabricators Ltd, Pick Everard, the Canal and River Trust, Geldards, the Environment Agency, Blueprint, Active Travel England, and the Department for Transport.

Schoolchildren from two nearby schools on either side of the bridge – William Booth Primary in Sneinton and Lady Bay Primary in Lady Bay joined in the celebration by crossing the bridge together to emphasise the new link between communities.

Made possible thanks to funding received from the Department for Transport as part of the Transforming Cities programme, the new walking and cycling bridge was also built locally. Fabricated using British steel at Britons Ltd eight miles away in Hucknall, the new bridge provides walkers and cyclists with a more appealing and accessible route across the river, linking up neighbourhoods, supporting regeneration and providing much improved access to sports facilities and green spaces while encouraging healthier, more sustainable ways to get around.

Metal panels portraying local history and nature will be installed later this month and the amphitheatre area approaching the bridge on the north side also features seating and lots of plants. The bridge will be covered by CCTV and will be lit at night with low level hand-rail lighting which is less disruptive to wildlife.  The riverside path on the south bank is also now fully open offering a smooth 3m wide tarmac surface.

While much excitement is centred on the 87 metre long 160 tonne Waterside Bridge, a second bridge – the Basin Bridge linking the Waterside Bridge landing with Trent Basin, is also now open. The Basin Bridge is 26m long and is a part of plans to provide a continuous east-west path along the north side of the Trent.

The map below shows some of the connections that link up with the new bridge. People in Lady Bay, West Bridgford and Gamston as well as further afield will now be able to walk and cycle safely and easily over the river to locations including Sneinton Market, Colwick Country Park and Colwick Racecourse while city residents and visitors can use the bridge as part of a walking or cycling route to Holme Pierrepont, to access the City ground , Trent Bridge and wider Embankment area.

National cycle route 6 is nearby while route 15 travels directly past the bridge before continuing past Holme Pierrepont to Radcliffe-on-Trent, Bingham and Grantham.

A further new route for pedestrians and cyclists linking up the bridge with Daleside Road and the city centre via Poulton Drive will open shortly. Until then, access is available via Trent Lane / Portside.

To celebrate the opening of Nottingham’s new walking and cycling bridge, Nottingham City Council is organising a free bridge fun day on Sunday 14 June from 10am –4pm. The day will feature:

• Bridge building competitions
• Have a go at sports activities including rugby
• Free face painting and inflatables
• Free crafts, games and colouring
• Food and drink

Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council, said: “What a fantastic day for Nottingham and what a moment for our city. We are not simply opening a bridge, we are opening new connections, new opportunities and a new chapter for Nottingham.

This new bridge is the flagship achievement of our Transforming Cities programme, and part of the £167 million investment secured with Derby to transform how people move across our region. For the first time communities on both sides of the River Trent are directly linked by a safe, accessible and attractive walking and cycling route. That means easier journeys to work, safer journeys to school, better access to parks, green spaces, sporting venues, and local services. It will help unlock the regeneration of the Waterside area, support new homes, new facilities, new opportunities for our city. Nottingham has shown that we can deliver ambitious, integrated transport projects that genuinely improve people’s lives.

Projects like this don’t happen overnight and they certainly don’t happen alone. As well as our lead delivery partner Balfour Beatty, a number of local partners, groups, other local councils including Rushcliffe and Nottinghamshire and of course the Department for Transport have been involved in this ambitious project to better connect our city – thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to get us here.”

Kay Slade, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Regional Civils business, said: “The opening of the new Waterside Bridge marks an important milestone for communities across Nottingham. This impressive piece of infrastructure not only creates a vital new connection for residents and visitors, but will also support more sustainable, active travel across the city.

“We are proud to have brought this ambitious scheme to life, we’ve worked at pace since the project was first conceived in 2022 and have developed the complex design and navigated funding requirements and volatile markets to deliver the project on time and on budget.  This has drawn on Balfour Beatty’s engineering expertise and working in close partnership with Nottingham City Council, SCAPE, and our local supply chain partners.”

Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Leader Cllr Neil Clarke said: “The bridge will create more connectivity for residents for further opportunities to travel in a more sustainable way.

“Creating this new link for cyclists and pedestrians means easier access to nearby open spaces in Lady Bay and West Bridgford and our international sports grounds and leisure facilities, encouraging more people to make lower carbon journeys.”

Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Getting people walking, wheeling and cycling is crucial to reducing congestion on our roads and keeping our nation healthy, and I am delighted Nottingham now has a stunning new way to safely cross the River Trent for the first time in decades.

“This bridge was built locally using British steel and is a great example of how our Transforming Cities Fund is helping hundreds of projects improve the lives of communities up and down the country.”

Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, said: “The opening of Waterside Bridge is a landmark moment for Nottingham and for the wider East Midlands. This fantastic new crossing is connecting people to green spaces, leisure, education, and job opportunities – and it was built right here in the East Midlands.

“It’s especially fitting that local schoolchildren were among the first to cross the bridge together today, symbolising the stronger links this project creates between communities.

“Projects like the Waterside Bridge show the real difference investment in sustainable transport infrastructure can make. By making it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle, and wheel, we are helping to create healthier neighbourhoods, support local growth, and build a greener future for our region.”