VIDEO: Olympic Aquatics Centre bridge lifted into position

The new bridge that will form the main route into the London Olympics Aquatics Centre has been lifted into position.

The bridge deck, which was lifted in using the largest crane in Europe, is 16m wide and spans 50m over the Waterworks River which runs through the Olympic Park site.

Construction work is currently underway on 21 bridges in total, and more than 30 new bridges will be built in the Olympic Park altogether.

The structures, bridges and highways project is the single biggest construction project on the Olympics site and will create new connections across the site to provide an open and accessible Olympic Park during the Games and in legacy.

Construction work has already been completed on the main north-south bridge through the Olympic Park and it is now being used by construction traffic as the main artery through the site.

During the Games, temporary elements will be added to allow the bridge to accommodate the large number of Games spectators, taking the bridge to 70m in width.

After the Games, the temporary elements will be removed and the permanent structure will be left to form the main ‘spine’ through the middle of the legacy Olympic Park.

Around the Olympic Stadium site, which is being built on a compact island surrounded by water on three sides, five new bridges are being built.

The first new footbridge into the Stadium site is nearing completion, spanning 41 metres across the River Lea to create an 11 metre-wide pedestrian link into the western side of the Olympic Stadium. Construction work is also well underway on the other four bridges into the Stadium site.

Work is also now underway to construct the Olympic Park Loop Road, a new 12km road that circles the Olympic Park site. The Loop Road will connect the Olympic Village to each venue in the Olympic Park.