First piece of Lowestoft's Gull Wing Bridge being moved into place

The section will cross over the East Suffolk railway line

The first steel section of a long-awaited road bridge is being moved into place.

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

The section will cross over the East Suffolk railway line, which is being shut for 50 hours to allow it to be placed .

It has been called a "big milestone" for the project.

It is expected the 380-tonne bridge section, which arrived from Belgium earlier this year, will be fully in place on Sunday.

Simon Bretherton, project director for Suffolk County Council said: "This is a big milestone for the project, we are putting in the first big bit of steel that goes across the East Suffolk railway line and this is the first of eight spans we will be erecting in the next year or so."

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 congestion in the town.

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

Simon Bretherton said placing the first bridge section was a "big milestone"

Mr Bretherton said the project is expected to be completed in the next 15 months.

"This is tremendous for Lowestoft. The benefits will be felt by all the residents in Lowestoft, connecting north and south of the town and reducing the congestion residents feel at the moment," he said.

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

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