Lane closed on major river bridge over safety fears

A potentially unsafe bridge joint was discovered on the Orwell Bridge

Traffic on a river bridge on a major A-road has been reduced to one lane after safety concerns were found during a routine inspection.

National Highways said a "bridge joint" was discovered in a potentially unsafe condition on the A14 Orwell Bridge, near Ipswich, on Friday.

Traffic on the westbound carriageway has been reduced to one lane "until further notice".

The agency said repair work would be carried out overnight to cause the "least possible disruption".

Queues of traffic built up approaching bridge on Saturday afternoon

A statement posted on social media added: "We appreciate the impact this will have on the local community but taking this course of action is necessary to ensure all road users remain safe whilst travelling on our road networks.

"There is no diversion in place as lane two will still be in use. Please allow extra time for your journey though."

The Orwell Bridge provides a major link between the Port of Felixstowe and other parts of the UK.

It is often closed during high winds, causing long tailbacks across Ipswich as drivers find alternative routes.

One lane of the bridge was closed

The bridge is 42 years old and is 1km (0.6 miles) in length.

In 2022, about 60,000 vehicles crossed the bridge each day.

The news came as a long-awaited new bridge in Lowestoft was set to open.