New M3 footbridge ready to open for public use

A new footbridge over the M3 in Surrey will open on Wednesday.

The bridge crosses the motorway between junctions three and four at Bagshot Heath, with improvements to footpaths either side also carried out by National Highways.

It will replace a previous bridge demolished in 2023 over fears it would not withstand a crash involving a high vehicle.

The motorway was closed for a weekend in July for the new structure to be craned into place.

The new bridge, which weighs 100 tonnes and is 63m (207ft) long and four metres (13ft) wide, has been fitted with mesh and other anti-climb measures.

Plans to install it in April had to be postponed because concrete in one of its abutments had not hardened properly.

Since the demolition of the previous bridge pedestrians have had to make a 1.7 mile (2.7km) detour to get to and from Bagshot and Lightwater Country Park.