Opening date and plans announced for the new walking and cycling bridge between Trent Basin and Lady Bay 

A new bridge providing a safe connection for walkers and cyclists over the River Trent between Trent Basin and Lady Bay will open to the public on Tuesday 2 June at 12 noon. 

After a ribbon cutting ceremony where children from local schools will join Councillors and other officials to declare the crossing open, the bridge will be open for the public to cross for the first time, along with the new bridge over Trent Basin. The newly widened and surfaced riverside footpath on the south side of the river will also re-open for use on 2nd June.

The ambitious new bridge constructed by Balfour Beatty was the flagship project as part of the Department for Transport’s Transforming City programme of improvements in Nottingham.  

The 87 metre, 175 tonne tied arch bridge was built in Hucknall at Britons using British steel before being installed 8 miles down the road atits new home at Trent Basin. The bridge will connect the communities of Sneinton and Lady Bay, and open up access to green spaces on either side of the river including Colwick Country Park and Holme Pierrepont and Skylarks nature reserve. As a result, new walking and cycling routes will be unlocked, taking advantage of improvements to Daleside Road and Poulton Drive which are currently being completed. 

The new bridge will also prove vital during football and other sports matches, providing fans a safe way to cross the river to sports facilities including Nottingham Rugby Club, Nottingham Forest and Notts County.

To celebrate the opening of the bridge, there will also be a free community fun day on Sunday 14 June 2026, with activities and stalls on both the north and south banks of the river, including food and drink, community performances, free activities for children and adults including crafts, face painting and games and a focus on STEM (science technology, engineering and maths) and sports activities. 

Nottingham’s new bridge timeline: 

• 2019 – the need for a bridge was identified in the Waterside Supplementary Planning document which set out the vision for this area over the next 15 years 
• 2020 – The council secured funding from the Government’s Transforming Cities programme to deliver this scheme as part of a programme to invest in local transport infrastructure that will improve sustainable transport, support growth, and encourage more low carbon journeys 
• 2021 – public consultation took place and Nottingham City Council approved the location and gave approval to progress the scheme 
• 2022 – We engaged with a contractor (Balfour Beatty) to to clarify key areas including costs, buildability, how the bridge will be constructed on site and the land take requirements for this 
• 2022/2023 – Further work was undertaken to support the planning application submission including flood modelling and environmental surveys such as tree, bat, water vole and other vegetation and species surveys. Work has also progressed to determine the construction methodology including the proposed construction haul routes
• 2024 – detailed design work, ground and ecological surveys, scheme order confirmation, detailed construction methodology planning, land agreements negotiated. We submitted planning applications to two councils and got a final approval from our Executive Board and the Department for Transport 
• 2025 – Balfour Beatty officially began work. The bridge took shape Britons Fabricators Ltd in Hucknall, before later being transported to the Trent and lifted into place in October 

Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said:   

“I’m thrilled to confirm that Nottingham’s brand-new walking and cycling bridge will open to the public from on Tuesday 2 June. Schoolchildren from the closest schools either side of the river will be on hand to help cut the ribbon as we celebrate our new Transforming Cities funded bridge.  

I’m also delighted to invite everyone to save the date for the bridge community celebration event on Sunday 14 June – it should be a great day with plenty of fun free activities for everyone.”