A NEW £117m road bridge over the River Wear in Sunderland has been given the go ahead.

At its highest point it will be twice as high as the Millennium Bridge that spans the Tyne.

It follows a decision by Sunderland Council to scrap plans for a more elaborate landmark bridge in the wake of funding cuts.

A deal for the bridge and its approach roads has now been signed and the contractor is preparing to move on site, with work expected to be finished by spring 2018.

The overall approved budget for the project is £117.6m. This comprises City Council funding of £35m and Government funding of £82m.

The new bridge will have two lanes of traffic in both directions plus cycleways and footpaths.

It will be a three span cable-stayed bridge with an A-frame pylon rising to 379ft that crosses the River Wear from Wessington Way on the north side of the river to the B1405, European Way/Pallion New Road, on its south side.

Preliminary works diverting utilities alongside the A1231 Wessington Way have already started.

Councillor Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "It is one of the region's biggest civil engineering projects and an investment that is going to help create more jobs and more economic growth.

"By improving links between the A19, the city centre and the Port of Sunderland, a new bridge has always been a key part of Sunderland's on-going regeneration.

"This announcement is great news for Sunderland and the wider region. There has been talk for a long, long time that Sunderland has needed a major new road crossing over the River Wear and it's an issue that has not gone away.

"We have now secured a development that is going to further the regeneration of our city.

"The bridge and its approach roads are about bringing significant economic, regeneration and transport benefits to our city and the wider North-East region.

"We cannot overstate the massive economic, social and community impact this project is bringing. It's going to profit homes, businesses, the Port of Sunderland, help with links to the A19, and the development of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP)*.

"This is a project of massive significance to everyone in Sunderland and across the North-East."

The construction contract has been awarded to a joint venture between Farrans Construction, based in Cambridgeshire, and Belgian firm Victor Buyck Steel Construction.