WORK on the first bridge to be built over the River Mersey for more than 50 years has been completed.

The Merseylink construction consortium, which is delivering the new Mersey Gateway Project for Halton Borough Council, has completed the trestle bridge - a temporary bridge that will act as an access platform for construction teams to work from when building the new structure.

It is the first bridge to be built over the River Mersey in Halton since 1961, when the Silver Jubilee Bridge was opened.

Construction workers today laid the final slab of concrete in the middle of the bridge to join together the two sides, which have been under construction for the past ten months.

The trestle bridge is a live and busy construction site used daily by heavy construction vehicles and sophisticated equipment, and is not open to the public.

It is purely an access platform for construction teams to work from when building the new structure.

A lifting section, which can be raised on request to allow boats to pass up and downstream, will be installed shortly.

The trestle bridge will be dismantled and removed completely when the new Mersey Gateway Bridge is in place.

Richard Walker, Merseylink project director, said: "Completion of the trestle bridge marks another important milestone for the Mersey Gateway Project.

"It will provide us with full access to the river, enabling work to start on the central cofferdam.

"This is a great achievement for the project and I'd like to thank everyone involved for their hard work."

You can find out more about the project at www.merseygateway.co.uk.