Thousands of people walked across a second bridge linking the Isle of Sheppey to the rest of the county at the weekend.
The crossing is due to open later this month and people were allowed to walk the bridge before it opens to traffic.
Graham Friel, general manager of Sheppey Route Ltd, said cyclists would not be permitted to use the £100m crossing for safety reasons.
“This was an opportunity to cross the bridge on foot and see the surrounding area from this vantage point,” he said.
Julian Goffin, spokesman for the Isle of Sheppey Round Table, said it was “possibly the biggest event that Sheppey has held”.
As the Saturday Observer reported last week, Sheppey residents say the new bridge will bring increased prosperity to the island and help push up property prices.
Swale Councillor Sandra Garside, who represents the Sheppey Central ward, added: “We all hope it will bring more affluence to the area.
“It should start up the housing market which we desperately need here.
“We want jobs and we want the prices of our homes to catch up with those of the mainland.”
The crossing across the River Swale will have four lanes of traffic and carry about 26,000 vehicles a day.
Work began on the 115ft high bridge in April 2004.
Before the crossing was built, the island was cut off from the mainland every time the Kingsferry bridge was raised to allow ships to pass along the River Swale – sometimes 20 times a day.
The result of a competition to name the bridge, in which some 700 people took part, was announced earlier this year.
Lifelong Sheppey resident Reginald Grimwade, 79, came up with the winning entry and the bridge is to be called The Sheppey Crossing.
POSTED: 30/05/2006 13:05:56
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