PREPARATION works for the impressive pylon – the centrepiece of Sunderland’s new bridge – are nearing completion within the River Wear.

The team building the New Wear Crossing has been working around the clock to construct two tusk-like structures inside the cofferdam in the river, which will support the bridge’s 105m pylon.

Giant steel moulds have been fixed to the floor of the cofferdam – a large, watertight box secured into the riverbed that provides the team with a dry environment to work within. These steel moulds, known as formwork, create the shape of the tusks.

Engineers are filling the moulds with approximately 300 cubic meters of concrete which will ultimately form the base of each leg of the pylon.

Once complete this month, the moulds will be removed and the tusks will stand at more than eight metres tall.

The New Wear Crossing is on track to open in spring 2018, connecting Castletown to the north of the river with Pallion to the south.

It will create 2.8km of new road and will open up land along the River Wear for regeneration and development, as well as help to create up to 6,000 new jobs.

Leader of Sunderland City Council Cllr Paul Watson said: “This bridge is going to be the catalyst for investment and regeneration in Sunderland, creating jobs, raising confidence and reducing congestion in the city in the years to come.

“Progress during the next six months will be very visible, so I hope the people of Sunderland are as excited as I am to see our new crossing take shape across the river.”