A NEW pedestrian and cycle bridge, which will eventually link new homes and a school to local amenities in South West Exeter was successfully lifted into place on Thursday evening - a full 24 hours ahead of schedule.

The bridge spans the A379 between Chudleigh Road and the Devon Hotel – the road was closed for part of this week to enable the operation to be carried out safely.

Once open it will form a link to the new development which is expected to deliver 2,500 new homes and 21.5 hectares of land for new employment.

The footbridge was delivered in sections and constructed on the roadside before it was lifted into place in one piece by a large crane.

The bridge is part of the infrastructure being delivered to support the new development following £55.1 million of funding from the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which is administered by Homes England, a government agency.

The contractor was John Graham Construction.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Management said: 'The bridge was lifted into place without a hitch, and we hope that it will be open for public use by the autumn.

'I want to thank local resident’s road users for their patience and observing the restrictions in place while this was carried out and we are sorry for any convenience that this caused.'