THIS spectacular footbridge will soon link Trafford with the BBC's Media City development at Salford.

Planning chiefs have given the given the green light for the bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, near to the Imperial War Museum North.

The 85m long bridge will have a fan shaped mast made up of 32 pylons extending up to 32m.

It has been designed by Wilkinson Eyre architects and bridge engineers Gifford, the same team that designed the award-winning 'blinking eye' bridge at Gateshead.

Ed Burrows, the property director at canal owners Peel, told the planning committee: "We are very excited at the prospect of seeing this spectacular and uniquely designed bridge come forward."

Planning committee vice chairman, Cllr Dan Bunting, said: "I think this will be a fantastic development."

The BBC's Media Ciity is due to be completed in 2011.