THE superstructure of a new footbridge has been winched into place over one of the city's busiest roads.

Two steel beams spanning the width of Lewes Road in Brighton have been lifted into place earlier today, with six panels being installed to form the new bridge's deck.

A video posted by the University of Brighton shows one of the panels being carefully lowered into place.

The bridge's main south beam on its own weighs 27 tonnes, with the whole superstructure weighing 191 tonnes - equivalent to 15 double decker buses.

The construction has been months in the planning, with the installation requiring the assemblage of 203 steel fabricated parts to form the bridge's span.

The structure will stand roughly six metres above the road, one of the busiest in the city, and will connect communities on both sides of the road, as well as linking buildings which form part of Brighton University's Big Build project.

A full closure of the road between Coombe Road and just north of Natal Road remains in place until 6am tomorrow (January 31), with engineers working round-the-clock to minimise disruption to motorists and commuters.

Traffic diversions are in place via the A23 and A27, as well as clearly signed pedestrian and cycle access.

Bus routes in the city have also been impacted by the road's closure, with routes 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 48, 49, 78 and the N25 night bus being diverted.

Full details of diversions to bus services can be found on Brighton and Hove Buses' website.

Neil Heard White, project lead for the Big Build project, said: "Once it's complete, the footbridge will provide an iconic and accessible connection for our students and staff and the local community, and will put a real exclamation mark on the incredible transformation of this part of Brighton."

The latest work marks the final stage of the complex engineering operation and follows construction last weekend of the bridge's staircase.

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