Bridge to shut for 12 days for £118k of repairs

Haven Bridge will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists during most of the work

A busy bridge will be closed to vehicles for almost two weeks for repairs.

Norfolk County Council said Haven Bridge in Great Yarmouth will be shut from 05:00 GMT on 1 December until midnight on 12 December.

New barriers and hand rails will be installed, walkways upgraded and thousands of timber blocks that form the road surface will be replaced.

"Haven Bridge is nearly 100 years old and requires continual maintenance and improvement to ensure it remains safe and fit for purpose," said Graham Plant, a Conservative councillor with a responsibility for highways, transport and infrastructure.

A full mechanical and electrical upgrade of Haven Bridge was carried out in 2021

A diversion will take traffic via North Quay, Acle New Road, Breydon Bridge and Pasteur Road.

On 10 and 11 December, both footpaths on the bridge, which opened in 1930, will be closed for test lifts, when the bridge will be opened without traffic to make sure everything works.

On those days, there will be a free mini bus shuttle service with signed pick-up points.

The council said the work would cost £118,000. It is asking for patience while it is done, adding that it would ensure the bridge's longevity.

It underwent a £2.5m electrical and mechanical upgrade in 2021, a project that ran late and went over budget.

Haven Bridge will undergo test lifts on 10 and 11 December, so a free minibus will pick up pedestrians

Plant, the county councillor for Gorleston St Andrews, said the authority had planned the work long ago, but it could not be done until the town's Herring Bridge, which opened in 2023, had been finished.

He said the "fantastic, new" Herring Bridge would ease congestion caused by Haven Bridge's closure.

"Carrying out these works early in December also means we're avoiding the busy summer season, which is so crucial to the town's economy, and [it] also avoids the two weeks directly before Christmas," he added.