SHOREHAM footbridge has won an award for engineering excellence.

The Adur Ferry Bridge won the Community Benefit Award at the Institution of Civil Engineers Engineering Excellence South East England awards on June 13.

The replacement of a 1920s footbridge over the Adur at Shoreham with a modern swing bridge for cyclists and pedestrians provides a carbon-neutral means to get to Shoreham town and beach, while completing the last link for a continuous cycle route from Kent to Cornwall.

The judges said: “We were impressed at how the new bridge provides a real alternative to the car, providing pedestrians and cyclists better access from the Shoreham beach to the town centre, with an improved facility for access at night and protection from high cross winds.”

The location over a stretch of tidal salt marsh is environmentally very sensitive, and the modern steel and concrete structure – featuring illuminated handrails for use after dark – is designed to cope with 800,000 crossings a year and to last 120 years.