Gull Wing Bridge

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Gull Wing Bridge
Lowestoft harbour.jpg
Lowestoft Harbour - the bridge will cross between the two buildings on the right
Coordinates52°28′26″N 1°43′59″E / 52.474°N 1.733°E / 52.474; 1.733Coordinates: 52°28′26″N 1°43′59″E / 52.474°N 1.733°E / 52.474; 1.733
OS grid referenceTM536928
CarriesVehicles
Pedestrians
CrossesLake Lothing
Lowestoft to Norwich line
LocaleLowestoft, Suffolk
BeginsDenmark Road
Peto Way (north)
EndsWaveney Drive (south)
Other name(s)Lake Lothing Third Crossing
Named forA gull's wings
Characteristics
No. of spans5
Piers in water2
Clearance below12 metres (39 ft)
(High water)
6 metres (20 ft)
(Railway)
History
Construction start22 March 2021
Construction cost£148 million (projected)
Opening2023
Location

Gull Wing Bridge is a road bridge being built to span Lake Lothing in the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. The bridge will be higher than the existing bascule bridge at the harbour mouth, and so will not need to be lifted up as often for shipping to pass underneath. The idea of a third bridge in the area was first suggested in 1918, and approval for the Lake Lothing Third Crossing was granted in 2020. It was renamed Gull Wing Bridge after a competition for names being held at local schools.

History[]

The lifting Bridge at the eastern end of Lake Lothing in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, is raised several times a day to allow boats access and egress to the harbour, and the North Sea. This hampers the traffic system meaning it can take an hour to drive from the south side of town, to the north side.[1] It has been estimated that the lifting bascule bridge carries 14,000 vehicles a day.[2] The second bridge is upstream at Oulton Broad, and is known as Mutford Bridge; the distance between the two existing bridges is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi).[3] A third crossing was first mooted in 1918, just after the First World War ended.[4] A total of three moving bridges have been built at the eastern end of Lake Lothing where the water falls into the North Sea; the current bascule lifting bridge was installed in 1972.[5]

The approval to build the £94 million Gull Wing Bridge was granted in April 2020, but by August of 2020, costs had risen to £148 million through delays, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a desire to have a contingency fund "...should any unforeseen issues arise and caters for any further complications caused by coronavirus".[6]

Gull Wing Bridge[]

The preparatory works for the bridge started in January 2021, with the official groundbreaking on 22 March 2021,[7] after an unexploded ordnance survey was undertaken in the strectch of water beneath the bridge's location.[8] The bridge will straddle the inner harbour, and connect Denmark Road and Peto Way on the north bank, with Waveney Drive on the south bank.[4] Originally tendered to BAM Nuttall, the contract to build the bridge fell through and was re-tendered to Farrans.[9]

Road Access to the bridge from the south will be along the B1351 (Waveney Drive), which has access to the A1117 road in the west, and the A12 road in the east. On the northern side, the road will access the A12 road, and the A47 road, as well as the A1114 road through either Denmark Road or Peto Way.[10] The design of the bridge includes a foot and cycle path on both sides, with a single-lane of traffic in each direction (north/south).[11]

Some of the piles for the bridge foundations will be up to 60 metres (200 ft) below ground level.[12] The height of the bridge above high water will be 12 metres (39 ft),[13] and at the northern end will have a 6-metre (20 ft) clearance above the railway line into Lowestoft station.[14] Whilst the space between the two main spans in the water will be 35 metres (115 ft), safety features fitted to the span walls will limit this to a maximum width of 32 metres (105 ft).[15] The Gull Wing Bridge will be at a greater height above the water level than the existing bascule bridge at the eastern end of Lake Lothing; because of this, it is hoped the bridge will not be needed to be raised as many times per day, thereby causing less disruption to traffic.[16] The design calls for a lifting section in the middle, which will raise southwards to allow ships to pass underneath.[17] A traffic assessment indicated that approximately 10,000 vessels will need to go past the point of the bridge (10% less than the bascule bridge at the harbour mouth), but that the bridge will only need to be raised for 25% of the traffic passing.[18]

The name of the bridge was decided upon after a local schools competition, and pupils from Somerleyton Primary School described the style of the bascule bridge posts looking like a gull's wings.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ Humphrys, John (23 March 2015). "Election essay: The town that's used to being disappointed". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ Arminas, David. "Second bascule bridge for Lowestoft". World Highways. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ^ Surl et al. 2018, p. 40.
  4. ^ a b Boggis, Mark (1 January 2021). "Town's new £126m bridge will bring 'enormous benefits'". Lowestoft Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Lake Lothing: Crossings - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Lowestoft: Third crossing costs increase by £54m". BBC News. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  7. ^ Boggis, Mark (23 March 2021). "'A reality': £126.75m Gull Wing bridge marks the start of work". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  8. ^ Boggis, Mark (8 June 2021). "Work to start on new access road as part of Gull Wing third crossing". Lowestoft Journal. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Farrans agrees £76m price for new Lowestoft bridge". The Construction Index. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  10. ^ "The Lake Lothing (Lowestoft) Third Crossing Order 201[*]" (PDF). infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk. June 2018. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Lake Lothing Third Crossing" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 4. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. ^ Boggis, Mark (29 July 2021). "'Awe-inspiring' progress on £126.75m Gull Wing third crossing". Lowestoft Journal. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Lake Lothing Third River Crossing" (PDF). broads-authority.gov.uk. 2018. p. 2. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  14. ^ Surl et al. 2018, p. 55.
  15. ^ Horne 2021, p. 9.
  16. ^ "Farrans wins £76m contract to build Lake Lothing third crossing in UK". World Construction Network. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Lake Lothing Third Crossing" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. p. 5. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  18. ^ Horne 2021, p. 19.
  19. ^ "Lowestoft's third river bridge gets county council approval". BBC News. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2021.

Sources[]

  • Horne, Stephen (February 2021). Lake Lothing Third Crossing (PDF). gullwingbridge.co.uk (Report). Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  • Surl, Rob; Baker, Ian; Diver, Thomas; Santhakumar, R (June 2018). Lake Lothing Third Crossing Business Case (PDF). infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk (Report). Retrieved 23 November 2021.

External links[]

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