The first new pedestrian and cycling bridge to be built over the River Trent in Nottingham for more than six decades has been successfully installed, featuring precision-engineered steelwork supplied by The Angle Ring Company Ltd.

The 87-metre Waterside Footbridge, which includes a distinctive 20-metre-high arch, was lifted into place as a completed structure by a single crawler crane. Designed to enhance active travel routes and connections either side of the river, the bridge is a key part of Nottingham City Council’s Transforming Cities Fund programme and is scheduled for full opening in spring 2026.

Angle Ring supplied complex curved steel sections used as part of the main structural elements. These precision bent components were manufactured to exact specifications to ensure they met the demanding requirements of the bridge design and installation process.

Angle Ring’s scope for the project included:

• Eight pieces of 457O/D x 16 mm wall circular hollow section, bent to a 23800mm metre centre-line arc with a 59,000 mm radius
• Thirty-six rectangular hollow sections (250 x 150 x 10 mm), bent on the X-X axis to a 39,900 mm inside radius with a 4,014 mm centre-line arc at 5.746°

The tubular sections were butt welded to achieve the required lengths before bending, resulting in single-piece curved components that offered the precision and continuity needed for the trial assembly and final lift.

Angle Ring worked closely with the steelwork contractor Briton Fabricators and main contractor Balfour Beatty, with full trial erection of the bridge carried out at Briton’s facility in Hucknall. The accurate bends supplied by Angle Ring helped ensure the trial assembly matched the engineered design and supported a smooth on-site installation.

Project Facts

• Client: Nottingham City Council
• Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty
• Steelwork Contractor: Briton Fabricators
• Steel Bending Engineers: The Angle Ring Company Ltd
• Location: Nottingham, UK

Angle Ring scope of work

• Precision bending of circular and rectangular hollow sections

Read more about the installation here in New Steel Construction.

For further information about this project or Angle Ring’s capabilities, contact Angle Ring on +44 (0)121 557 7241 or via sales@anglering.com.