WORK will start next month on laying the foundations for a spectacular new bridge to be constructed across the Walkham Valley near Tavistock.

The £2.1 million Devon County Council scheme is due to get underway on site at Grenofen on Monday March 14, starting with piling operations to support the foundations of Gem Bridge.

In preparation for the arrival of site traffic, temporary traffic lights have been located on the A386 between Grenofen and Horrabridge to enable vehicles to exit the site safely during construction. They will be operated throughout the scheme and will remain in place until early 2012.

The Gem Bridge site will have two accesses, one off the A386 and a secondary one at The Old Station, Horrabridge. Only a limited number of vehicles will be using the Horrabridge access, to minimise disturbance to local residents. All deliveries from the A386 will be made by vehicles heading from Horrabridge to Tavistock, to prevent right turns into the site and reduce delays.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways and tansportation, said: 'This will be another landmark structure which will help reinforce Devon as a cycling county and will prove to be hugely beneficial to the local economy.

'A lot of planning and preparation has already gone into the management of the site, even before work has started, in order to reduce the impact on local communities. Devon County Council has been working closely with Dartmoor National Park and the bridge contractors to minimise the effect on traffic flows during construction.'

Unlike normal traffic lights, the lights on the A386 at the site exit will be turned to green for about 99% of the time. They will only turn red for very short periods when vehicles are leaving the site, so as to reduce the potential for traffic build up and delays. As an added precautionary measure, vehicle activated signs will warn of any vehicles queuing on the approach bends from Tavistock and anti-skid surfacing has also been introduced on both approaches.

The steel structure of the bridge, which will span 200 metres and weigh in at around 140 tonnes, is being fabricated in South Wales. It will be transported to the site in sections, some of which measure up to 15 metres long. The main steel sections of the bridge are due to be delivered in June, and will arrive outside of peak traffic periods to avoid delays.

When the new 24 metre high Gem Bridge is completed by the end of this year, cyclists and walkers will be able to enjoy a virtually traffic free route from Plymouth to Tavistock and on to Lydford and Okehampton.

Cllr Will Mumford, cabinet member for economic regeneration and strategic planning, said: 'I've no doubt many people will take a keen interest in the site as the bridge takes shape, especially as they see work starting in earnest. This ambitious project is vitally important to tourism in Devon and I'm sure the local business community can't wait for it to open and to welcome the visitors it will attract.'

Cllr Philip Sanders, the county member for Yelverton Rural, said: 'As a keen off-road cyclist I am really looking forward to being able to enjoy the spectacular view of the Walkham river valley that this new development will provide. One of my greatest pleasures will be watching other cyclists' reactions as they enjoy the experience of using this splendid facility.'

The project, which will form part of the Drake's Trail cycle route from Tavistock to Plymouth, has attracted European funding to help establish cycling tourism links between France and the south west of England, and could eventually become part of the Europe wide Eurovelo network.