The Lowestoft 3rd Road Crossing - LATEST

[Aussie K]

Latest post of the previous page:

If the crossing is similar to that, it looks as if it can be a three lane highway and that I believe will suffice our requirements for many years into the future.
I would like to see two lanes over the existing bridge going south and two lanes over the new bridge going north removing some of the traffic lights and the traffic would flow like an oiled machine.

[boatbuilder]

I think it is only one motor vehicle lane each way, Aussie. Those other 'lanes' are most likely footpaths/cycle lanes.

[boatbuilder]

For Information purposes: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-tr ... -crossing/

[boatbuilder]

Lake Lothing third crossing scheme in the running for planning award

Lowestoft’s Lake Lothing third crossing project has been shortlisted for a national planning award.

The Suffolk County Council project has been nominated in the 2018 Planning Awards’ infrastructure planning category, with the winner due to announced at a ceremony in London at Savoy Place on June 6.
The awards, which are run by Planning magazine in conjunction with PlanningResource and PlacemakingResource, recognise excellence in both planning and placemaking.
The £90m bridge has been in development ever since conditional funding was granted by the Department for Transport in March 2016, and the project is continuing at pace, with completion scheduled for 2022.
Colin Noble, leader of Suffolk County Council, said: “We know this scheme is extremely popular and will bring significant transport benefits to Lowestoft as well as opening up further opportunities for regeneration and development in the area.

Report

Never mind awards, let's just have the crossing itself.

[Gary]

Just wondering, now that the third river crossing is being built and the third river crossing in Great Yarmouth is also being commissioned, is everyone happy? I think both bridges will make life much easier for everyone in these towns and hopefully there wont be so many hold ups.

[muzzy]

I think that for many people, they are not holding their breath waiting for the crossing to be built. After all, with it having been talked about for over 60 years, we still don't have it built. Indeed, we don't have building work started. And this is despite Prime Minister David Cameron promising hand on heart that the crossing would not only be built but open for business by 2020. With 18 months to go, we have now been told that delays mean that building work itself won't start until late 2019 / early 2020. All it will take is for a reduction of amount of grant monies promised, and we will be on hold once more. This is entirely feasible, as the shortfall of monies still hasn't been guaranteed; we have a vague promise of "should be funded by Suffolk County Council", but we are missing the "WILL be funded".

There is also of course the other concern, that once the 3rd crossing is built, funding will disappear to keep on with repairs to the Bascule bridge, and therefore if this bridge breaks down, we may end up back with only 2 crossings. This itself will kill the Kirkley area, and more importantly the tourism industry which the whole town relies upon nowadays.

For many people, we will be happy once the new crossing is built, and open, and we see an improvement in the town.

[Trigger]

A huge milestone’: Contractor announced and detailed designs to be finalised for Lake Lothing Third Crossing

The contractor appointed to deliver a long-awaited third crossing in Lowestoft has admitted they are looking forward to working on “a new iconic landmark for the town.”
With detailed designs for the Lake Lothing crossing to begin soon, Suffolk County Council has announced that civil engineering contractor, BAM Nuttall, has won the contract for the first stage of completing the new bridge.
After a formal planning application for the Lake Lothing Third Crossing in Lowestoft was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate by the county council in June, an invitation was sent for contractors to submit a bid for the tender.
Now, following a comprehensive tender process and approval by Suffolk’s cabinet, BAM Nuttall will finalise the design of the crossing, ready for building. This contract will start on November 1, with stage one set to last for 12 months,
The award of the construction stage of the contract, is scheduled to be announced in the autumn of next year. With the third crossing being built with the aim of reducing vehicle congestion in the town and boosting the local economy, Suffolk County Council leader Matthew Hicks said: “The cabinet unanimously approve the award of this contract, which is a huge milestone in the building of this bridge.
“Following diligent work from the project teams at the council, we have selected a contractor which we believe brings a balance of high-quality work and value for money. This project will be a big boost to both the people and economy of Lowestoft.”
EDP Report

[boatbuilder]

Lake Lothing third crossing scheme ‘ever closer’ to becoming reality

Download the Spring 2019 report:

LakeLothingThirdCrossing-Spring19.v6.pdf

(4.33 MiB) Downloaded 41 times

Image: Suffolk County Council

Lowestoft Journal article

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[boatbuilder]

In another topic, kerch asked about when the new bridge was due to start construction. I thought it would be useful to post my reply in this topic as well:

There's more here, kerch. However, as we don't have a government at present because of the imminent election, I wonder if the December Secretary of State 'Decision' as indicated in the link will happen then.

https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/transport-planning/lake-lothing-3rd-crossing/

However, if you read the page that opens from the first link on there - under the 'Updates' dated 14th October, it seems nothing is yet 'cut and dry' despite everything else.

It comes as a report following the Public Examination has landed on the desk of the Secretary of State for Transport, whose decision whether to grant consent to build the bridge is expected by December 2019.

Here is another useful link: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/lake-lothing-third-crossing/

[boatbuilder]

Don't hold your breath!

Further to the previous post, I have just been reading through some of the recent documentation on the website in the second link in that post and have come across this recent letter sent on behalf of ABP which to me seems that they are trying to throw a spanner in the works.

Letter on behalf of ABP

Any comments/thoughts, anybody?

[kerch]

What's new 50+ years of promises and still no firm commitment.

[Mel]

Any comments/thoughts, anybody?

Life is to short to read all that letter but the way I see it is; as usual people trying to get their hands on our hard earned taxes on whatever flimsy pretext they can think of

[boatbuilder]

UPDATE! … Hot off the Press today

third crossing update.jpg (73.3 KiB) Viewed 2258 times

Source: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/eastern/lake-lothing-third-crossing/

Just as I thought would happen.
I received a notification email of this about two hours after making my original post.

[A.J.]

Allegedly Lings, who will lose the access to their site, has put in a claim for £10m for the loss and an impending move to a site on the Pinbush estate in South Lowestoft.

[boatbuilder]

UPDATE!

From an email received today:

TR010023: Lake Lothing Third Crossing Updates

The Department for Transport has asked for comments from the Applicant by 3 January 2020.

See link below (PDF) for information:

https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010023/TR010023-001141-191210%20further%20consultation%20applicant.pdf

Is this yet a potential further delay in the saga of the 'Third Crossing'?

[kerch]

Of course by the time that's sorted a forth bridge will be needed .