People across the UK voted and the winner of  the BIG Lottery Fund’s ‘The People’s £50 Million Lottery contest’ the biggest ever award to be decided by a public vote, was Sustrans: Connect 2.

Sustrans: Connect2 is a UK-wide project that will create new cycling and walking routes to improve local travel in 79 communities across the country, a portion of which travels through our City of Bradford.

The successful Connect2 Project turns long-term plans for a new bridge across Manchester Road into a reality.

The new bridge will be an iconic landmark, at the heart of a network of pedestrian friendly routes connecting West Bowling and Marshfields and linking Bradford City Centre to the national cycle network – Route 66.

Bradford Trident has worked closely with a range of partners, including Sustrans, Newby School, Yorkshire Forward, Bradford Council, Bradford & Airedale PCT and Bradford Hospitals Trust to build safe and attractive streets for people who live in the neighbourhood, focusing particularly on the needs of people who walk to local amenities such as schools, shops and play areas.

The successful Connect2 bid joins up these streets and allows this way of working to expand across the Bradford District.

Councillor Ian Greenwood, Chair of Bradford Trident, says “This is a tremendous boost for Bradford; the money will provide an iconic landmark and enable people to move easily and safely throughout the neighbourhood.   I would like to thank everyone who has supported and voted for Sustrans’ Connect2 bid for Big Lottery funding”

Mike Latham, Headteacher at Newby School which is adjacent to the proposed bridge adds, “All at Newby are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the national vote.  The new bridge will stand as an imposing, yet practical, symbol of West Bowling and Bradford’s new confidence and will no doubt become a major gateway to the city centre.

Thanks to Trident and Council initiatives, walking and cycling in and around West Bowling are on the increase and this will encourage local people to walk and cycle to town and beyond. This success will have a major impact on Bradford for years to come.’  

Pictured is an artists impression of how the bridge may look.