The final design is innovative and is the only single span bridge of this type in the country.

Work on the £5m project is scheduled to start on site in May, with a target completion date around late Spring / early Summer 2020.

Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “The design is outstanding and I am looking forward to the day when we officially open it and allow this community to truly get back to their day to day business.”

Diane Bourne, managing director for Eric Wright Civil Engineering added: “We’ve been working closely with Cumbria County Council on the design for the new bridge for the last 12 months and we are delighted to also be appointed for the construction phase.

“Our team has a great deal of experience in bridge design and construction and we will ensure that the new Pooley Bridge, not only provides resilience against extreme bad weather in the future, but that it continues to connect the community for generations to come. ”