Video and pictures: First look at Telford's new £7 million footbridge
[gallery] The design of a new £7 million, glass-sided footbridge linking Telford Central railway station with the town centre has been revealed.
Telford & Wrekin Council will hold the first of a series of open events tomorrow to show off the design of the new bridge, at the railway station between 3pm and 7pm.
Its design has now been unveiled, and a video fly-through shows it to be a glass-sided bridge with a lift to take passengers with pushchairs and wheelchairs down to the platforms, from where passengers travel from Telford to Birmingham and Shrewsbury.
Councillor Angela McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for transport, said: "The public engagement sessions are an opportunity for people to get a first view of the planned footbridge design and give us their feedback.
"We have worked hard to successfully secure the funding for this major project from the Department for Transport and our aim is to provide an attractive gateway to Telford, which is an iconic landmark and unique to the town."
The bridge, which straddles the railway, the A442 and Rampart Way, is also in two parts, with the narrower section effectively acting as a concourse for the station.
It will replace the existing red bridge, which does not comply with disability access requirements. The old bridge is expected to be retained during the building process to allow passengers to get to and from the town while building work is carried out.
The council hopes to secure all the necessary consents for the project and to engage a contractor by the end of 2016 in order for construction to take place in 2017 and early 2018.
The public engagement sessions will take place:
Wednesday, June 22: From 3pm to 7pm at Telford Central.
Thursday, June 23: Between 1pm and 4pm at Southwater One.
Tuesday, June 28: From 8am until 11am at Telford Central railway station.
