Hopes bridge saved from cuts will become regeneration icon

Development of the 7.5m swing bridge, based on a concept by award-winning architects McDowell and Benedetti, had been threatened under the 40m of savings demanded of the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

But the Yorkshire Post revealed last week that the project had been spared the axe, and Yorkshire Forward has now said the only financial impact on the bridge is that 400,000 of the funding would be delayed until 2011-12.

Tim Wigglesworth, the senior development manager at Hull Forward, claimed the bridge was a key component in attracting further regeneration investment.

He added: "Despite some of the funding being deferred until next year, the River Hull footbridge project is unaffected and we can expect its date of completion to remain on track for later this year.

"Other than the fact that the finished, fully operational bridge will be an iconic and unique structure for the city, its creation will ultimately see the East Bank form strong links with the city centre and the Old Town. This will resulting in better connectivity to and from The Deep as well as being a much more attractive prospect for potential investors and developers."

The assistant director for urban renaissance and property at Yorkshire Forward, David Custance, said the temporary withholding of part of the investment would not affect construction.

He added: "This deferral will not affect the completion date of the River Hull footbridge, which is due to be finished by the end of the year. The delay in funding can be managed within the overall budget arrangements of the scheme."

Traffic on the River Hull will be suspended for three days in August while engineers install the main elements of the bridge over the ancient waterway.

Bridge construction specialists at Barnsley firm Qualter Hall are transporting 15 giant sections of the bridge by road from their factory in South Yorkshire, and plan to have all the pieces at the site this month.

The date of the three-day closure has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to start on August 10 when a floating crane will come up river.

The bridge will not only open a new pedestrian route between Hull's Old Town and the East Bank, but is expected to become a visitor attraction in its own right.

The structure will offer pedestrians the chance to "ride" on the bridge as it swings open for boats.

It will have eye-catching lighting displays, and more than 600 different sounds linked to music will be played at various times, with the opening sequence set to the sound of a waterfall thanks to the input of artist Nayan Kulkarni.

A large circular structure on the West Bank will also house a bistro offering diners stunning views downstream to the city's tidal barrier and the confluence with the River Humber, and upstream to the mix of historic buildings and new apartment blocks.

It will also overlook the Arctic Corsair, the former trawler that is now a floating museum berthed on the river.

Yorkshire Forward has also confirmed it was being forced to shave 50,000 of its sponsorship of the Clipper Yacht race.

But it said this would only affect future investment, and not its backing of the Hull & Humber yacht in the latest staging of the biennial global race, which is due to end in the Humber on Saturday, July 17, after an epic 10-month, 35,000-mile voyage.