Paving laid as Garth Lane transformation continues

Landscaping is due to be carried out next month, with trees and wildflowers creating a strong focal point and complementing the rest of the scheme.

There are also plans for carved fish benches to be installed, and for the concrete tiered seating to be clad with granite.

The new 5-metre wide and 35-metre-long footbridge that will cross the River Freshney is now in Scunthorpe, where it is being painted ready for its arrival in Grimsby.

The expected completion date for the whole project is towards the end of April – this is when the bridge will be fully fitted, and the main long-term pedestrian diversion removed.

The second pathway closure in the immediate area of the bridge site along Frederick Ward Way will be removed later this month.

Meanwhile, the paving that leads from the Fishermen’s Wharf side of the new bridge to the pumping station will feature turbine blades that will run across its width.

They will be inset with three different circular images showing the town’s traditional seal depicting the legend of Grim and Havelok; Grimsby’s last wooden fishing smack, The Esther; and a Viking shield incorporating European eels that would have been caught in the river for food in the middle ages and have recently returned to the waters.

Looking forward to seeing the finished result, North East Lincolnshire Council leader Councillor Philip Jackson, said:

“We could not be more pleased with how this is looking so far and with the other major improvements we are currently planning for the town centre, Grimsby is going to look very different in the months and years ahead.

“A true regeneration in our town’s heart.”