Gull Wing Bridge is a road bridge being built to span Lake Lothing in the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, which is claimed to be (once completed) the largest rolling bascule bridge in the world lifted using hydraulic cylinders.[1] The bridge is planned to be completed and open to traffic in early 2024. [2]
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
By 2020, the traffic situation in the town of Lowestoft had become an increasing concern for local council officials and Suffolk county politicians. Due to the geographical location of the town, alongside the establishment of its port during the 19th century, Lowestoft became divided by a body of water that required bridges to allow connections between the northern and southern halves of the town:
An eastern harbor bridge, situated over a channel that provides access from the North Sea to the inner port on the eastern end of Lake Lothing.
A western bridge in Oulton Broad, situated over a canal lock that connects the western end of Lake Lothing to the River Waveney and the Broads.
Since their construction, both bridge crossings have seen changes. The harbor bridge originally began as a swing bridge, but was replaced twice, with the current bridge a lifting bascule bridge that was installed in 1972;[3] The western bridge was originally a swing bridge that formed part of Bridge Road, before a bypass stretch in Oulton Broad led the establishment of a new lifting bridge, the Mutford Bridge, west of the original crossing; which now has a wooden lifting bridge used mainly by pedestrians and cyclists.
Growing traffic problems during the late 20th century into the noughties slowly exposed problems from the arrangement of these crossings. The harbor bridge, estimated to carry around 14,000 vehicles a day,[4] is required to be raised several times each day to allow shipping to enter and exit the inner harbor situated in Lake Loathing, effectively causing traffic jams that increase the amount of time for drivers to be able to cross between the north and south side.[5] In contrast, while the Mutford Bridge can create a similar problem, it is not regularly lifted, but due to the railway crossing north of the bridge along on the A1117, at the Oulton Broad North railway station, traffic is regularly stopped twice every hour for train services between Lowestoft and Norwich.
Although a third bridge crossing was first proposed back in 1918, just after the First World War ended,[6] alongside increasing complaints on traffic problems around both crossings and concerns over the maintenance work on the harbor bridge, no attempt was made to go forward with such a project, despite a search for a viable position along the 3 kilometres (1.9mi) stretch of water between the two crossings,[7] and promises made by political candidates in local elections. It was not until 2020 that a proposal for the establishment of a third crossing was put forward, which tackled not only the crossing of the river, but the railway link from the town station to the Wherry and East Suffolk lines, with a high level bridge encompassing a bascule bridge section. Approval for the proposal was granted in April at a cost of £94million, but by August that year the cost of construction had risen to £148million 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".[8]
Gull Wing Bridge
The preparatory works for the bridge started in January 2021, with the official groundbreaking on 22 March 2021,[9] after an unexploded ordnance survey was undertaken in the stretch of water beneath the bridge's location.[10] 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.[6] Originally tendered to BAM Nuttall, the contract to build the bridge fell through and was re-tendered to Farrans.[11]
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.[12] 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) with a maximum speed limit of 30 MPH.[13]
Some of the piles for the bridge foundations will be up to 60 metres (200ft) below ground level.[14] The height of the bridge above high water will be 12 metres (39ft),[15] and at the northern end will have a 6-metre (20ft) clearance above the railway line into Lowestoft station.[16] Whilst the space between the two main spans in the water will be 35 metres (115ft), safety features fitted to the span walls will limit this to a maximum width of 32 metres (105ft).[17] 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.[18] The design calls for a lifting section in the middle, which will raise southwards to allow ships to pass underneath.[19] 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.[20]
The bascule span to the bridge is the largest of its kind in the world, with the J beams being more than 50m (164ft) above the sea. The bascule span itself is 39.5m (130ft) long, 22m (72ft) wide and 35m (115ft) tall. [21]
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 as looking like a gull's wings.[22]
September 2021 - Waveney Drive junction is closed to all traffic[26]
August 2022 - Piling for the bridge piers complete[27]
October 2022 - Installation of first steel deck section (Northern Approach Viaduct 1) (NAV1)[28]
November 2022 - Formal opening of Colin Law Way[29]
January 2023 - Completion & Reopening of Southern Approach Roundabout / Waveney Drive [30]
March 2023 - Denmark Road closes to all traffic[31]
Construction of the Northern Approach
March 2023 - Control tower structure built to full height
April 2023 - Installation of steel sections for NAV2 and NAV3, completing the Northern Approach[32]
May 2023 - Installation of Southern Approach Viaducts (SAV) 1 - 4, completing the Southern Approach[33]
October 2023 - Completion and Reopening of Northern Approach Roundabout & Improvements to Denmark Road [34]
March 2024 - Installation of main lifting bascule span was completed [35]
Main bascule span arriving in harbour for installation from Netherlands
Reclassification of Roads
Due to the Gull Wing Bridge being designed to become part of the A12 road, several roads around Lowestoft face being reclassified to reflect the new primary route that will run through the town.[36][37] These changes will include the following:
A stretch of the Waveney Drive that is encompassed by the B1531, between the Tom Crisp Roundabout and the new Gull Wing's southern roundabout, will be reclassified as part of the A12 on the southern side.
The A1117 will cease to exist within the town:
The stretch between Cotmer Road and Peto Way, encompassing Normanstan Drive, Bridge Road and Saltwater Way, will be reclassfied for the A146.
The stretch covering Millenium Way and Peto Way north of the Normanstan Drive roundabout will be reclassfied for the A12.
Peto Way south of the Normanstan Drive roundabout, and a portion of Denmark Road linking it to the new Gull Wing's northern roundabout, will be reclassified as part of the A12 route on the northern side.
Related Research Articles
The Broads is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly used to identify specific areas within the two counties respectively, the whole area is frequently referred to as the Norfolk Broads.
Great Yarmouth, often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located 20 miles (32 km) east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, mainly for herring, shrank after the mid-20th century and has all but ended. North Sea oil from the 1960s supplied an oil-rig industry that services offshore natural gas rigs; more recently, offshore wind power and other renewable energy industries have ensued.
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. The town is 109 miles (175 km) from London via the A145 and A12 roads, 16 miles (26 km) south-east of Norwich and 33 miles (53 km) north-northeast of Ipswich. Nearby towns include Lowestoft to the east and Great Yarmouth to the north-east. The town lies on the River Waveney on the edge of The Broads National Park.
The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The earliest attestation of the name is from 1275, Wahenhe, from *wagen + ea, meaning the river by a quagmire.
Lowestoft is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. As the most easterly UK settlement, it is 110 miles (177 km) north-east of London, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles (35 km) south-east of Norwich, and the main town in its district. The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.
Somerleyton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet, in the East Suffolk district, in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west of Lowestoft and 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-west of Great Yarmouth. The village is closely associated with Somerleyton Hall and was largely rebuilt as a model village in the 19th century at the direction of Samuel Morton Peto. The parish was combined with Herringfleet and Ashby to create the parish of "Somerleyton, Ashby and Herringfleet" on 1 April 1987.
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network.
The A12 is a major road in Eastern England. It runs north-east/south-west between London and the coastal town of Lowestoft in the north-eastern corner of Suffolk, following a similar route to the Great Eastern Main Line until Ipswich. A section of the road between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth became part of the A47 in 2017. Between the junctions with the M25 and the A14, the A12 forms part of the unsigned Euroroute E30. Unlike most A roads, this section of the A12, together with the A14 and the A55, has junction numbers as if it were a motorway.
The A47 is a major trunk road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk, maintained and operated by National Highways. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114. From Peterborough eastwards, it is a trunk road.
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk.
Lowestoft railway station serves the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk. It is the eastern terminus of the East Suffolk Line from Ipswich and is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines from Norwich. Lowestoft is 23 miles 41 chains (37.8 km) down the line from Norwich and 48 miles 75 chains (78.8 km) measured from Ipswich; it is the easternmost station on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom.
Blundeston is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-west of Lowestoft, 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Great Yarmouth and around 1.75 miles (2.82 km) inland from the North Sea coast. It is part of the area known as Lothingland in the East Suffolk district. Blundeston Prison was located on the southern edge of the village but closed in early 2014.
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, flows into the North Sea and forms part of the Port of Lowestoft. The area was the major industrial centre of Lowestoft with ship building and other engineering industries, much of which has now closed.
Kirkley is an area of the town of Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located south of the centre of Lowestoft and the town's harbour and Lake Lothing. Kirkley was originally an independent village but is now part of the urban conurbation of Lowestoft. In 2011 the ward had a population of 7439.
The A146 is an A road that connects Norwich in Norfolk and Lowestoft in Suffolk, two of East Anglia's largest population centres. It is around 27 miles (43 km) in length and has primary classification along its entire route. It is mainly single carriageway throughout its route, with the exception of a section of dual carriageway on the southern edge of Norwich.
Buses in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk provide public transport in and around the town. Buses were first introduced in the town by Lowestoft Corporation Tramways in 1927 and replaced original tram services by 1931.
The Yarmouth–Beccles line was a railway line which linked the Suffolk market town of Beccles with the Norfolk coastal resort of Yarmouth. Forming part of the East Suffolk Railway, the line was opened in 1859 and closed 100 years later in 1959.
The Port of Lowestoft is a harbour and commercial port in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk owned by Associated British Ports. It is the most easterly harbour in the United Kingdom and has direct sea access to the North Sea. The harbour is made up of two sections divided by a bascule bridge. The inner harbour is formed by Lake Lothing whilst the outer harbour is constructed from breakwaters. Lowestoft handles around 30,000 tonnes of cargo per year.
The A144 is an A road in the English county of Suffolk. It runs from the town of Bungay, close to the border with Norfolk, to the A12 trunk road near the village of Darsham, passing through the market town of Halesworth. It is around 14 miles (23 km) in length and is single carriageway throughout.
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.
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