'Critical works' hold up opening of £145m bridge

Safety and control systems are being tested on the Gull Wing bridge

The opening of a new £145m bridge has been delayed by continuing "critical safety works", a council said.

Suffolk County Council said it was "working as fast as possible towards confirming an opening date" for the Gull Wing Bridge in Lowestoft.

Construction started in 2021 and the bridge had originally been expected to open last summer.

Once fully completed, the bridge will provide the town with a third water crossing over Lake Lothing.

The council commented after the issuing of a Notice to Mariners "understandably sparked interest".

However, the authority said the notice, which informs mariners of changes to safety-critical navigational information, did not necessarily mean it would open imminently.

It said: "Regulations require that the Port Authority issue a formal Notice to Mariners at least 21 days before the Gull Wing is fully operational.

"However, final critical safety works on the bridge continue and an opening date has not yet been confirmed.

"By arranging for this notice to be published, we are ensuring that these regulations can't slow down the opening of the Gull Wing once final commissioning is complete, and an updated Notice to Mariners would be published once an opening date has been confirmed."

The bridge will eventually be the largest of its kind, with the bascule span 39.5m (130ft) long, 22m (72ft) wide and 35m (115ft) tall.

It will sit clear of the highest tide by 12m (39ft) and the J-beams will be more than 50m (164ft) above the sea.