HUNDREDS gathered along the Usk riverfront yesterday to watch the £5 million Usk Footbridge being assembled with a giant crane.

The first spectators arrived early and by midday several hundred had turned up, many of them looking on from Canal Parade, near the city centre.

Mum Vanessa Price, of Llanfach Road, Abercarn, and her son Geraint, 14, were among them.

"It's exciting for the children to see it," said Mrs Price. "It's good to have something different like this in Newport.

"It will make it easier for people living over the river to walk into the city."

Roy Charlton, 74, has lived on Canal Parade since 1950. He will be able to overlook the new footbridge from his home. "I've seen a lot of changes over the years," he said. "I remember when there were railway lines down here."

Mr Charlton said he was looking forward to walking across the bridge when it was completed.

His partner Pat Husselbee, 64, from Bettws, said: "It's going to be impressive. We're enjoying watching it go up."

Dave and Sara Hampton had brought a camcorder along to film the action.

Mr Hampton, 57, of Dolphin Street, Pill, said about the bridge: "It's magnificent, it's about time the riverfront is tidied up."

The first piece to go up was a steel mast which will support the bridge itself, which will be nearly 56ft taller than Nelson's Column when it is completed by the end of the week.

Rosemary Butler, AM for Newport West, described the bridge as an "architectural gem".

"The new bridge will be an enormous visual asset to the regenerated city centre," she said.