Orwell Bridge to close for four nights for works

The Orwell Bridge will be closed for four nights and a diversion will be in place

Drivers will face four nights of diversions as essential survey works closes a strategically important bridge.

The Orwell Bridge on the A14 at Ipswich opened in 1982 and is in need of structural surveys to ensure it is safe, according to National Highways.

The bridge will close between Monday, 20 May to Thursday, 23 May with a diversion route in place.

Simon Oakhill, a regional senior engineer at National Highways, said closures were only used when "absolutely necessary".

He added that National Highways "appreciate the impact" this would have which is why they had been planned the closures at night "to cause the least possible disruption".

On Monday and Tuesday, the A14 between junctions 55 (A12/Copdock) and 58 (Seven Hills/Levington) will be closed eastbound from 20:00 BST until 06:00 the following morning.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the westbound carriageway will then be closed along the same stretch at the same times.

The westbound diversion will direct drivers to leave the A14 at junction 58 before travelling along the A12 until the A1214 roundabout at Martlesham.

It will then divert them west along the A1214, through Kesgrave and Ipswich before reaching the A14 at junction 55.

The eastbound diversion is the same in reverse.

Traffic queues create gridlock in and around Ipswich when the bridge is closed during daytime rush hours

Structural surveys are a form of a midlife health check according to National Highways to ensure the structure that spans the Orwell Estuary is in good shape until the next inspection in six years.

Work was meant to take place in December but had to be postponed after a hydraulic platform meant to lift engineers over the side of the bridge to work underneath got stuck in the down position.

The upcoming works will have a hydraulics engineers on site to monitor the platform.

National Highways has advised drivers to plan their journeys and allow for extra time.