Massive steel piece arrives in Lowestoft for Gull Wing bridge

The North Approach Viaduct section was transported by boat from Belgium

A 55m piece of steel has arrived in Lowestoft to form a key part of a long-awaited bridge.

Construction began last year on the Gull Wing bridge, which will provide Lowestoft with a third crossing across Lake Lothing, which divides the town.

A boat transported the 380-tonne piece of steel from Belgium.

The local MP Peter Aldous described it as an exciting development "as people can now begin seeing for themselves the bridge taking shape".

The massive steel section is now at a construction site in Lowestoft.

The plans were first approved by Suffolk County Council in 2015 before manufacturing started last year.

People in Lowestoft have been campaigning for a new bridge for decades due to road traffic congestion in the town.

The £145m project will be paid for using funding from the Department for Transport and Suffolk County Council.

The transportation of the steel piece was observed by civil engineers, port masters and marine experts as it came into harbour as the Bascule Bridge was raised

With its arrival weather-dependent, a team of engineers oversaw the structure being transferred from the boat.

The piece will now be moved to a special platform and when ready to use will weigh approximately 1,450 tonnes.

Councillors hope the new crossing will "reduce congestion" and "improve connectivity".

The Gull Wing is being built across Lake Lothing, further inland from the existing Bascule Bridge, which is pictured middle and left of this photo

Neil Rogers, project director at contractors Farrans, said: "The arrival of NAV 1 [the piece] is an important milestone for the progress of the Gull Wing project."

Matthew Hicks, the Conservative leader of Suffolk County Council, also welcomed the arrival of the section, and said it would "make a huge difference to people and businesses in Lowestoft for many years to come".

"It will remove a major impediment to growth by reducing congestion and improving connectivity, something that is central to the regeneration of not just Lowestoft but the wider Suffolk and Norfolk region," he added.

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