It’s here! Two 18-metre long sections of steel arrived by lorry at Hamworthy, Poole, signifying a milestone in the construction of the Twin Sails Bridge.

The 47 tonnes of grey metal, closely followed by another similar load, marked the first two pieces of bridge to arrive on the construction site.

Driven down from Cleveland Bridge’s factory at Darlington, they are the outriders for 41 sections of bridge which will be arriving on 25 lorry loads over the coming months.

A massive 500-tonne crane was specially brought in to the busy Hochtief site to gently lift the sections of steel, which make up half of the first span out into the Back Water Channel, and put them down on trestles.

First off the lorry, eagerly watched by council leader Cllr Elaine Atkinson and Cllr Ron Parker, cabinet member for transportation, was the seven tonne walkway, then the 40 tonne main section was lifted clear.

“It’s like an elaborate jigsaw which we are seeing come together,” said Cllr Atkinson. “To see it here today is really exciting. This is it. It’s in Poole.”

In January a civic party, which included the Daily Echo, travelled to Cleveland Bridge to see the structure being built for the £37m project, which is on time and in budget.

Cllr Parker said: “Having seen it in Darlington it is fascinating to see it down here. I am looking forward to the celebrations next March when it opens.”

Hochtief site manager Richard Bruten explained that the sections of the first span would be completed and fixed together, then a self-propelled motorised transporter would lift it into position on the piers in the channel, aided by a barge.

Among other work on the site, where 65 people are currently employed including local contractors, is a two-storey control room with panoramic views of the two bridges and the basin, and a public viewing platform is currently under construction on the town bank.