CYCLISTS in West Devon will no doubt be keen to hear the latest progress on the construction of the much anticipated Gem Bridge near Grenofen.

The £2.1-million Gem Bridge is the biggest single piece of new infrastructure being built as part of the European-funded Cycle West initiative, which links south west England and France.

It will also form part of Cycle West's 'Vélodyssée' route, which is a 265-mile (440km) cross-Channel cycle link stretching from Ilfracombe to Redon in Southern Brittany, via Okehampton, Tavistock and Plymouth.

This partnership with Brittany has brought in external funding worth £600,000 to pay for half the steel work on the project.

The 24-metre high, 200 metre long bridge will connect Dartmoor National Park with Plymouth to complete one of the final missing links on Drake's Trail.

Contractors Dawnus have finished constructing the 'wineglass' shaped bridge piers which stand up to 22m and support the 150 tonnes of steel structure and 380 tonnes of deck concrete. The concrete has been treated to obtain a granite effect to suit this idyllic setting.

Ben Naylor, the county council engineer for the project, said: 'The steel truss sections are being lifted into place with a 500 tonne mobile crane on the north of the river and a 250 tonne crane on the south. Fifteen enormous steel sections will be bolted and welded together to form the 200m long bridge.

'Standing on top of the pier scaffolding, you can, for the first time, get a sense of how spectacular the views are likely to be from the bridge. These views have not been seen since the last train crossed the valley on the Walkham Viaduct in the early 1960's.

'The new bridge will not match the awe inspiring scale of the original Brunel viaduct, which was almost twice the height, but will provide a magnificent alternative for the modern era. We are now working on the final missing link to Tavistock, completing what will surely be an iconic route for the region and bringing in millions of pounds of visitor spending to the area.'