work on a towering town centre arch will begin early next year after council chiefs overcame a last minute wrangle to agree the scheme.

The 60ft steel structure will support a new Newport Street railway bridge and be the focal point of a sleek "urban boulevard" linking the bus and rail interchange with the town centre.

But Cllr David Wilkinson, executive member for environment at Bolton Council, warned that work on the bridge - and to replace a neighbouring rail bridge on Great Moor Street - was likely to cause misery for motorists and rail commuters.

The work - expected to take up to 12 months - will see parts of both roads closed to traffic and rail lines will also be affected.

The £2.7 million project is the first stage of a revamp of the entire southern area of the town centre.

And an overhaul of the bus and rail interchange has also been mooted.

Cllr Wilkinson said: "This is an excellent design and I don't think many people realise that it is actually cheaper than some of the more conventional proposals.

"It will be a significant landmark for Bolton and we hope it will last as long as the Victorian bridge it is replacing.

"Sadly, people are going to face significant disruption while this necessary work is carried out."

The scheme was agreed by Network Rail after the council agreed to cover the cost of maintaining the bridge. The arch and its tensioned cables will be illuminated at night enabling it to be seen for miles around.

A new picture released by engineers gives an early indication of how the bridge might look at night.

It will replace the old under-strength Edwardian railway bridge which carries Newport Street over the Manchester to Preston line.

The wrought iron girder bridge, owned by Network Rail, was constructed in 1905, replacing the original 1845 single-span structure.