Architects and engineers were this week invited to bid for the key bridge project in the £350m regeneration scheme at Poole, Dorset.
The £14.4m road bridge is essential to the scheme because it links Poole with the suburb of Hamworthy, giving access to a disused power station site owned by power company Innergy.

Work on the overall project is also likely to start soon with the sale of the power station land to a developer. The sale is expected to go through by early autumn and plans for an Asda superstore are being considered by planning officers. Poole council engineering officer John Rice said: "It's a big jigsaw and the bits are starting to fall into place."

Rice added that the council had received more than 10 expressions of interest in the bridge project. Requests to participate do not have to be lodged until 23 August; a team is not expected to be selected until the end of the year.

The bridge, which would open up to allow ships to go through, is due to be completed by 2006. The programme for building it was set up in 2000. At present one road bridge connects the two areas and this is thought to be insufficient for the regeneration of the 50 ha area and the 2800 homes in the district.

The Poole regeneration scheme includes the creation of a public open space on harbourside land owned by housebuilder Bryant.

The project is based on a masterplan by Bournemouth architect Terence O'Rourke.