The bridge will link the South bank of the Pärnu River to the rest of the city (see map below). The project was initially mired in local political squabbles, but is now going ahead.

Robert Sinikas, board member at Infra, the developers awarded the contract, told ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" that: "We are at present erecting the retaining walls — necessary ahead of constructing the piles for the bridge columns, next month."

"The bridge itself is 270m long; it spans 140m of the river," Sinikas said, adding this will make it the largest bridge in Estonia, at least by span.

"We have a very broad and international team. The design team is about 30 people in total. We have engineers from Germany who help with the design work," Sinikas added.

The procurement contract requires the bridge to be completed within 22 months, at a cost of €27 million.

Pärnu City Government also on Monday issued construction permits for waterfront areas.

A building that formerly functioned as a police station is to be demolished in the fall, while access roads, cycle lanes and pedestrian walkways to and from the bridge also form part of the project.

The city's mayor Romek Kosenkranius had previously faced criticism after the local government last fall had to appeal to the state for an extra €25 million in order to build the new bridge.

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