New Birmingham canal bridge opens to the public
A £1m footbridge spanning the Main Line Canal at Soho Loop in Birmingham has been opened to the public.
The bridge connects the 752-home Soho Wharf with the existing Eyre Street Basin bridge, providing pedestrians with a crossing point to the city centre along the canal, and access to Western Road and City Hospital from the waterways.
It was commissioned by the Galliard Apsley Partnership, developer of Soho Wharf, and the development’s owner Heimstaden Bostad.
Shrewsbury-based bridge design company Beaver Bridges built and installed the steel cantilever truss footbridge, with weighs 28 tonnes and spans 26m.
Gerard Nock, chairman of Apsley House Capital, said: “We are proud to have delivered this vital piece of infrastructure. The bridge provides an important link from the site to the city centre via the waterways. It will benefit Soho Wharf residents and the public, particularly those visiting or working at nearby City Hospital.”
Amit Kumar, UK head of operations at Heimstaden Bostad, which owns and manages the development, said: “Phase one comprising 123 homes, is now fully let, with phases two, three and four comprising of 592 homes, released and letting well. There will soon be more than 2,000 residents living in our friendly homes in Soho Wharf, creating a vibrant new community close to the city centre.”
