A large section of the busy Manchester Road in Bradford will be closed this weekend as part of preparation works for a new pedestrian and cyclist-friendly bridge to be constructed there in the spring.

Works on the central reserve are being carried out to set deep foundations for the new bridge, which is being built as part of a national project from charity Sustrans and Bradford Council to link communities in the area.

Diversions will be signposted and will be the same as two weeks ago when Manchester Road was closed due to the old bridge being demolished.

The road will be closed between St Stephen’s junction and Ripley Street junction from 5am on Saturday and reopen early on Monday.

But people have been urged by Council chiefs not to be put off from going into the city centre to go shopping, or to the Remembrance Day service on Sunday.

Sustrans was awarded £50 million by the Big Lottery Fund to provide new routes for everyday walking and cycling across the country. The Manchester Road scheme, near Newby Primary School, is part of that project, with the new bridge designed to connect communities and provide links to the city centre and university.