Contractors Sir Robert McAlpine and Norwest Holst are favourites to build the £15.5m Jubilee Bridge in the City of London.
Client the Jubilee Bridge Trust said it was in talks with the firms, which have both built bridges in the capital. Sir Robert McAlpine put up the £18.2m Millennium Bridge with Monberg Thorsen and Norwest Holst is building the £26m Hungerford footbridge with Costain.

Bill Higgins, the Jubilee Bridge trustee who conceived the project, said: “We’re talking to contractors. We’ve looked at the likes of Norwest Holst and others that have done other bridges, including McAlpine.”

Higgins warned that the bridge would not be built unless the public paid half the bill. The Jubilee Bridge Trust has secured 25% of the cost by signing an exclusive agreement with media firm Sky Media Management, which will lease video display screens for advertising. Higgins says he hopes to cover another quarter of the cost with a grant from a non-governmental source.

We’ve looked at the likes of Norwest Holst and others that have done bridges

Bill Higgins, trustee, Jubilee Bridge Trust

If the project gets off the ground, the 240 m metal and glass structure will be bolted to one side of Cannon Street rail bridge. It would be the city’s first covered bridge and will feature four viewing areas. Construction is expected to take 10 months.