A £1m footbridge spanning the Main Line Canal at Soho Loop has been opened to the public.
Cllr Sharon Thompson, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council, was joined by Cllr Marcus Bernasconi and Behdad Gitinezhad, a resident of the new Soho Wharf rental development, to officially open the new structure.
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.
Cllr Thompson said: “Birmingham’s historic canals are a great asset for the city. The new bridge provides local communities with improved access to the waterways, for walks, cycle rides or as they commute to work.
“The Soho Wharf development has delivered much-needed regeneration and new homes to the Winson Green area. Both the development and its connective bridge will have a lasting legacy.”
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.”
Behdad was one of the first residents to move into Soho Wharf; he lives in one of the 102 townhouses on the site. There are also 650 apartments for rent.
Almost 40 per cent of the Soho Wharf site is green space and includes public realm, private communal areas for residents, children’s play areas and private gardens.
Amit Kumar, UK head of operations at Heimstaden Bostad, which owns and manages the development, said: “Phase I comprising 123 homes, is now fully let, with Phases II, III and IV, 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.”
