Cumbria County Council has confirmed that the temporary bridge at Pooley Bridge will open to traffic on Sunday the 20th of March - one week ahead of schedule.
The opening will be marked with a celebration event hosted by the local community.
Cllr Keith Little, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We were hopeful earlier this week that we’d be able to open early, so it’s fantastic to be able to confirm it today.
"This has been a big project and I have to congratulate the staff from the council and our contractors Story Contracting, Mabey Bridge, Capita, Waitings Drainage and Mott McDonald for the huge effort they’ve made to bring this in ahead of schedule.
"It was so important to reconnect the village and get it back open for business and I’ll certainly be there on the 20th to see the first cars going across.”