WORK has started on the construction of a new bridge over the River Foss in York.

The cycle and footbridge will provide a crossing between Navigation Road and Palmer Street, which is part of the massive Hungate redevelopment site.

Foundations are currently being built on the banks, while the bridge itself is under construction at S H Structures, of Sherburn-in- Elmet.

Hungate project manager Ian Shepherd said he was working with civil engineering partners Lumsden & Carroll Construction to ensure the foundations would be ready by mid-August so the bridge could be brought on to the site.

He said the foundations had been specially designed to have minimal impact on the riverbank.

The stylish steel structure, which will measure 26 metres long and more than five metres wide, will weigh approximately 29 tonnes and will be transported to the site at night to avoid causing traffic congestion.

Once at Hungate, it will be fitted with stainless steel balustrades and distinctive timber decking before being lifted into place.

Mr Shepherd said: “As a company we make a point of selecting suppliers as local to the development as possible and we are delighted to be working with S H Structures who are a very skilled company.”

He said the bridge would have an access ramp and stairs on the southern bank, and the bank around it would be landscaped. Following the bridge’s installation, it will be handed over to City of York Council in the autumn.

The second phase of the £150 million redevelopment of the rundown, ten-acre Hungate site between the Foss and The Stonebow has been stalled over the past couple of years because of the recession and slow-down in the housing market.

Niki Turner, sales and marketing director for Hungate, said there were now only ten townhouses and six duplexes remaining for sale from the first phase of the development, and they continued to attract strong interest in spite of the challenging economic climate.

She said: “We are monitoring the market and will be better placed later this year to decide upon the most appropriate timing for the commencement of phase two.”