When completed later this year, the new bridge will sit six metres over the canal and provide a vital link to Gloucester's Inner Ring Road.

Designed, procured and managed by English Partnerships, the Government's national regeneration agency, the bridge represents a key stage in the regeneration of Gloucester.

The bridge will improve Gloucester's transport infrastructure by opening up access to the massive £250m Gloucester Quays redevelopment project and a range of other commercial, residential and leisure projects.  

The new bridge will also connect two key English Partnerships projects in the city: the Greyfriars mixed scheme of 400 eco-friendly homes and the recently opened state-of-the-art Gloucestershire College campus which has been built alongside the canal.

The simple design of the bridge will also provide access to new cycle and pedestrian routes being constructed along towpaths by the canal. 

David Warburton, English Partnerships area director for South West England and Gloucester Urban Heritage URC Board Member said: "When complete, the new bridge will become another landmark for Gloucester. It will improve transportation infrastructure, provide access to major redevelopment projects and spearhead the regeneration of the whole city.

From a pedestrian's perspective it will provide new and different views of the historic docklands, the Cathedral and the city centre."