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A planned $1.2 million walking and cycling bridge spanning the Water of Leith near Forsyth Barr Stadium will mean people will be able to cycle or walk from the Dunedin Railway Station to St Leonards all off road. Image: Supplied

The Dunedin City Council has announced work on a new cable-stay bridge connecting the central city with the inner harbour will likely start in March.

It will feature a 20m-high steel mast, and steelwork encased in durable glue-bonded timber.The bridge will span the Leith between the railway and the harbour close to Forsyth Barr stadium.

Cycle advocacy group Spokes Dunedin chairman Jon Dean said the bridge would be a  well-used addition to the connection between the west harbour cycle path and the central city.

"Being able to bike from the railway station to St Leonards all off-road ...  makes it a more interesting and vibrant experience for cyclists and other users as well."

The area was already one of the most used bike and pedestrian paths in the city and the bridge would add to that, Mr Dean said.

Based on what he had seen, Mr Dean said there was no reason to think the bridge would not be suitable for both cyclists and pedestrians.

Council group manager transport Richard Saunders said work on the bridge was expected to start  next month and it would likely take about five months to complete.

Design and construction of the bridge was expected to cost about $1.2 million.

The bridge was designed by DC Structures Studio, which specialises in architecturally designed foot and cycle bridges.

It will be built by Edifice Contracts.

Mr Saunders said the council would  work to minimise disruption to the public during construction.

Construction of the bridge would not affect access to events at the stadium, he said.

There would be some landscaping work around the bridge to make the area more attractive.

Work on the planned cycleways running along Anzac Ave and the railway line, around the base of the harbour and along Portsmouth Dr was also likely to start next month, Mr Saunders said.Infrastructure Services and Networks committee chairwoman councillor Kate Wilson said the design was a fantastic blend of art and function.

There was a high level of support for the bridge in a poll run on www.odt.co.nz yesterday  with almost 70% of the more than 700 responders liking the proposal.