The bridge is part of the 'Waterfront Connections' programme, a series of projects designed to improve access and infrastructure along the City Centre Waterfront.

Kings Waterfront is the single largest development site in Liverpool City Centre.  A partnership of Liverpool Vision, national regeneration agency English Partnerships, Northwest Regional Development Agency and Liverpool City Council, with additional funding support from the European Objective One Programme, is jointly promoting its development.

The bridge, spanning 35m and 7m wide, will accommodate thousands of people moving between the new Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool and Albert Dock.

Civil works on site will continue over the coming weeks, with the bridge on target for completion in September.

However the bridge will not be fully operational until the Arena and Convention Centre opens in early 2008.

Jim Gill OBE, Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision said: "The Dukes Dock bridge will create another important link between Kings Waterfront and Albert Dock, and marks a further important step in the delivery of the Waterfront Connections programme.

"It will be vital to the operation of the Arena and Convention Centre and ensure that residents and visitors can move freely between two of the city's most important visitor destinations, to the benefit of both."

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of North West Regional Development Agency (NWDA) added: "Accolades including Liverpool's designation as European Capital of Culture and World Heritage Site have propelled the city on to the world stage promoting its tourism offer to an international audience.

Improved infrastructure is crucial in meeting the demands of this increasingly popular visitor destination, which is why the Waterfront Connections project is vital to the economic development of the area." 

Eliot Lewis-Ward, Area Director for English Partnerships, said: "This impressive feat of engineering marks another milestone in the development of one of Liverpool's biggest regeneration projects and will provide improved accessibility for the thousands of visitors who are expected to flock to Liverpool's iconic waterfront during 2008 and beyond."