A MAJOR operation to lift a Weymouth bridge into place has been declared a success.

The finishing touches are now being applied to the long-awaited bridge for pedestrians and cyclists over Newstead Road after the structure was hauled into place by a 200-tonne crane.

The large scale operation to lift the three sections of the bridge into place meant the road was closed both ways over the weekend.

The bridge, which will connect two sections of the Rodwell Trail, is now expected to be open at the start of March marking the end of a 25-year gap since the old railway bridge was demolished in 1987.

The procedure to get the three sections of bridge, which weigh between 13 and 15 tonnes each, was expected to take well into Saturday afternoon but smooth progress saw the operation completed shortly after midday.

Project engineer for Dorset Highways Beth Barker-Stock said: “It’s gone remarkably smoothly because we were thinking the last one wouldn’t go in till mid-afternoon.

“We’ve also had lots of interest from local people, which is always nice to see and generally people seem to be making good noises about it.

“There’s a very small amount of tolerance, only about half an inch, so trying to get it in with the crane was a bit of a hold your breath moment.”

She added: “There is still some work to do at either end of the bridge, finishing off surfacing and where the bridge abuts the ground so we have still got a little while to go.”

The bridge is expected to be open to the public around March 2, until which time the northbound closure of Newstead Road will remain in place. A formal opening will be held on May 6.

The project is costing £835,000, with funding coming from the Dorset County Council, a Big Lottery fund grant financing scheme put forward by cycle charity Sustrans and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Ken Reed, from the West Dorset Cyclists Touring Club which first proposed the bridge back in 2006, was there to watch the structure lifted into place. He said: “We are absolutely delighted it’s going in.”

“Five other local charities supported us as well and without their support we would never have got anywhere and we are delighted the council came in and did the work.”

A number of local residents and cyclists turned out to watch the bridge take shape.

Johnny Read added: “I think it’s a huge asset to the town personally. If you get more people on bikes you get less people in cars.”