The Lowestoft 3rd Road Crossing - LATEST

[muzzy]

Latest post of the previous page:

Lowestoft Gull Wing crossing taking shape ahead of December finish

Contractors are expected to ramp up the construction of a town's long-awaited water crossing this month. Engineers are planning to build up the southern approach embankment of the Gull Wing bridge in Lowestoft. A Suffolk County Council spokesman said there would be further construction of a reinforced concrete control tower. The £145m project, partly funded by the Department for Transport, is scheduled for completion by December 2023.

"This is a major and technically complicated scheme in a difficult environment and, while there are still challenges ahead, overall it is progressing well," said the Conservative council leader Matthew Hicks. "Once complete the bridge will bring huge benefits to Lowestoft and the wider area for many years to come." Mr Hicks said Waveney Drive on the southern approach had "just reopened" following the construction of a new roundabout.

The plans for the bridge over Lake Lothing, for what would be the town's third waterway crossing, were first approved by the county council in 2015. The first steel section of the bridge, weighing 380 tonnes and delivered from Belgium, was installed in October. Once work to the bridge abutments and piers were completed, engineers expected to be able to install steel bridge deck sections - also from Belgium - in the spring.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-64119348



One thing niggles at me. According to this image, the main road to the retail park will be diverted to the left to the new roundabout, before returning to the retail park area further down. What is going to happen to the disused bit of road? And I don't remember this being in any of the plans previously.

[boatbuilder]

That stretch appears on the original video towards the end. Maybe they have decided to swallow it up into the landscaping or possibly use it just as a cycle path for those heading into the town so they miss the large roundabout.

I see that report states completion in December, I always thought it was suppose to be September.

[muzzy]

Lowestoft: Roads to close for six months for £126.75m bridge works

Drivers are being warned to expect delays as parts of three busy roads are temporarily closed amid the continuing third crossing works. As works continue in Lowestoft ahead of the construction of the new £126.75m Gull Wing bridge, sections of three roads on the northern side of Lake Lothing will be temporarily closed from next month. Works will be carried out on Denmark Road, Peto Way and the southern end of Rotterdam Road to allow "for new roundabout and road alignment for new bridge construction." According to the Suffolk Roadworks map "delays are likely" as the work is carried out "between the Wickes roundabout and 268 Denmark Road" in Lowestoft between March 1 and August 31.

A post on the Gull Wing bridge Twitter page said: "Due to the ongoing construction works for the Gull Wing, there are to be some upcoming road closures on the northern side of the project. "Denmark Road, Peto Way and the southern end of Rotterdam Road will be closed to vehicles from 7am on Wednesday, March 1 to allow for the building of a new northern roundabout and approach road to the bridge. The work is anticipated to take no longer than six months. An official diversion route has been agreed and signs will be in place. Full pedestrian and cycle access through the works will be maintained at all times. We appreciate this work will cause some disruption for a temporary period and we thank people for their continued patience and support. We apologise for any short term inconvenience this closure may cause but it is to deliver a project that, once complete, will deliver long-lasting benefits to the town."



https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... dge-works/

[boatbuilder]

More chaos.

[boatbuilder]

Here is a link to the latest newsletter about the third crossing.

The images included in it are interesting and enlarge well - using 'Right-click / Open in new tab'

https://mailchi.mp/753f5d3c5674/gull-wing-early-may-update-5972048?e=cec9b959ea

[muzzy]

I do spot the small niggles that are dating errors. Under 'Other Completed Works', November and December 2023 - perhaps we are looking towards the future?

[muzzy]

Lowestoft: Huge sections of Gull Wing bridge set to arrive

The next sections of a long-awaited third crossing are set to arrive in a coastal town this weekend. Another significant milestone in the construction of the £126.75m Gull Wing bridge in Lowestoft will see the next two steel sections arriving. After the North Approach Viaduct (NAV-1) section – the first section of the bridge for the northern approach crossing the railway line in Lowestoft - arrived in March last year and was lifted into place last October, the next two steel sections of the bridge will be lifted into place next week.

The sections of the new bridge, which is being delivered by Suffolk County Council and built by Farrans Construction, are due to arrive on a barge this weekend. A spokesman for the Gull Wing Bridge said: "The next two steel sections of the bridge, NAV2 and NAV3 are due to arrive at the weekend." NAV 2, which is 42m long, and weighs 221 tonnes, will be situated between Pier 7 and Pier 6, linking to the already installed NAV 1. NAV 3, which is 50m long and weighs 182 tonnes, will then be placed between Pier 6 and Pier 5 over the north bank of Lake Lothing.

The Gull Wing Bridge spokesman said: "The viaducts are planned to be barged over from Rotterdam at the weekend and then placed, using a large 600 tonne capacity crane, next week. "The crane itself, a Liebherr LR1600, is being delivered this week using 18 articulated lorries, taking three days to assemble. "This crane will lift the sections from the barge, positioning them on the piers, bolting, lining and levelling them into the correct position. "Following this the concrete decks are cast and then the street furniture and surfacing will be placed."

The Gull Wing third crossing - which will cross Lake Lothing and link Waveney Drive to Denmark Road and Peto Way - has been hailed as "an iconic and important bridge for Lowestoft," as it is due to open in 2023.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... et-arrive/

[boatbuilder]

The two sections of the bridge arriving earlier this week:



One of the new sections of the bridge currently being lifted into place.

[muzzy]

Lowestoft: New aerial images highlight third crossing works

Stunning new aerial images have showcased the significant progress made in the construction of the £126.75m Gull Wing bridge in Lowestoft. The impressive images show the scale of the development at the site of the long-awaited third crossing. With the new aerial photos showing progress on the Gull Wing third crossing at the construction site in Lowestoft, they have been captured by aerial photographer Mike Page. Earlier this month the final two southern side sections of the crossing arrived at the construction site on Lake Lothing in Lowestoft from Belgium. The steel structures, weighing more than 470 tonnes, have now been lifted into place meaning that all the Southern Approach Viaducts have now been put in place to form the complete Southern approach prior to its opening.

https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... ing-works/

[boatbuilder]

Here is an 11-page PDF of an email dated today which is the latest newsletter on the progress of the bridge.

[boatbuilder]

Here is a link to the Wikipedia page on the new crossing which you may be find interesting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gull_Wing_Bridge

It is worth noting the 'Reclassification of Roads' section towards the end of page, notably the A1117 (Normanston Drive, Bridge, Road and Saltwater Way) becoming part of the A146.

[muzzy]

Lowestoft Gull Wing completion delayed until 2024

Completion of a £145m bridge that will provide a town with a long-awaited third water crossing has been delayed until 2024. The Gull Wing bridge in Lowestoft, Suffolk was due to be completed in December. Contractors, Farrans, applied for an extension to the closure of Denmark Road, until the end of October, so highways work can be completed. Suffolk County Council apologised for any disruption.

The road closure is to allow for a new roundabout and approach road to the bridge on the northern side of Lake Lothing, which was "taking longer than previously estimated", the authority said. However, it said construction "continues to make good progress", with seven of eight bridge spans already in place. The main bascule span is expected to be installed in the new year, pending an agreement with Associated British Ports, when it is expected the navigation channel will be closed for three weeks. It will be the "most complex and major element" of what the council called a "unique and challenging project".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-66569527
https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news ... wo-months/

I always thought that time should be allowed in the planning stages for any contingencies such as this. I learned to always under-promise and over-deliver. In this case, they should have planned ahead for possible issues such as this. Mind you, the delay is only two months.... oh wait - this was originally 'promised' by the Prime Minister live on television to be open to the public by 2020!

[boatbuilder]

For the past several months I have had my doubts about it being finished this year. As posted on here and now on my Suffolk-World website, I regularly take pictures myself of the 'progress' - the latest being last night from the north side, which I still have to post - and I thought to myself as I was taking them 'This is never going to be finished in four months', and this was before seeing the above two articles.

[muzzy]

What I don't understand is how Great Yarmouth have managed to do their bridge so differently. They started theirs after us, and yet looks likely to open before us. They just seem to be better at planning ahead.

[boatbuilder]

Lowestoft's Lake Lothing to close for three weeks in January

A waterway will be closed off for three weeks to allow for the construction of the moving mechanism of a new bridge.
Lake Lothing, in Lowestoft, Suffolk, will close in January while the main bascule span of the new Gull Wing bridge is installed.
Suffolk County Council has issued advance notice of the procedure to the harbour authority and maritime users.
The Gull Wing Bridge, which is costing £145m, should be complete by 2024.
The building of the bascule span will be the "most complex and major element" of what the council called a "unique and challenging project".
It will mean the closure of the waterway for three weeks from 22 January, subject to final preparations.
A statement from the council said the works during the channel closure were "critical to enabling the Gull Wing bridge to be operational."
It said there would be further periods of "reliability testing" and "staff training" following the closure, "before the bridge can be safely opened to the public later in the year".
Following its approval in 2015, construction of the Gull Wing Bridge began in March 2021, with the aim to reduce congestion in and around the town.
The leader of Suffolk County Council, conservative Matthew Hicks, said advance notice of the closure was "another significant milestone in the delivery of the Gull Wing", adding that it would "deliver huge benefits to residents and businesses in Lowestoft by reducing traffic congestion and providing a catalyst for regeneration."
He said: "The arrival of the bascule bridge by sea and its installation will be the biggest sign yet that this long-awaited scheme is becoming reality."
The bascule span will arrive from the Netherlands and enter Lake Lothing through the existing bascule bridge, before being rotated and positioned into place.
Tom Duit, operations managers for harbour authority Associated British Ports (ABP), said: "We are grateful for the cooperation and patience of all port users as we make this exciting step towards a more connected future for Lowestoft.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-67157956