The City of Nottingham’s infrastructure improvement programme has taken another step forward after a new footbridge was successfully lifted into place over the River Trent.
Following months of detailed planning and coordination, this major operation marks a major milestone for a project designed to support greener, better-connected transport links across the city.
The new bridge was lifted in using a Mammoet CC6800 crawler crane, which stood 75 metres high. The bridge will ultimately form a crucial part of Nottingham City Council’s Transforming Cities Fund programme, an initiative launched in 2020 after securing more than £160 million of Government funding to support projects that encourage sustainable travel and improve connectivity.
Earlier in 2025, Van Elle’s Specialist Piling division delivered the essential foundation works for the crossing on behalf of client VolkerStevin. The team installed 42 SFA piles, ranging from 450mm to 600mm in diameter, using a Klemm 709 3G rig.
Working under strict low-bearing-pressure limitations, the project required a high level of technical precision. To meet this challenge, the team collaborated on the development of a bespoke pressure gauge system to monitor ground loads in real time, ensuring safe, compliant and efficient pile installation without disruption.
Although the piling phase was completed several months before the bridge was lifted into place, images of the bridge being manoeuvred into place stand as a clear testament to the planning, engineering and teamwork that supported the early stages of the project. The foundations created by Van Elle now play a vital role in enabling this landmark structure to progress toward opening.
The new river crossing will act as the flagship and final scheme delivered under the Transforming Cities Fund, helping to provide improved low-carbon travel options for residents and visitors while enhancing connections between key areas of the city.
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