Delivery of Lowestoft's £145m Gull Wing bridge scheduled for March

The main span of the bridge is being transported from the Netherlands

The last section of Lowestoft's £145m Gull Wing bridge is due to arrive from the Netherlands in March.

Lake Lothing will be closed to marine traffic for three weeks from 8 March while work on the bascule section is carried out.

The delivery had previously been delayed while further testing was carried out.

Suffolk County Council said the date for the installation was subject to weather conditions being suitable.

"Further to our previous update on 17 January, we have now agreed a revised provisional date with the Harbour Authority for the temporary suspension of navigation in Lake Lothing for the installation of the main bascule span," a spokesman added.

"Preparations for bringing the bascule section across to Lowestoft are well under way.

"However, pre-commissioning and installation is the most complex and specialised part of the entire Gull Wing construction to date.

"Our provisional date is subject to final pre-commissioning activities being successful, and suitable weather conditions for both the transportation of the bascule across the North Sea and the installation itself. We will therefore provide final confirmation one week before the provisional closure date."

Delivery of the bascule section is subject to favourable weather conditions

Following its approval in 2015, construction of the bridge began in March 2021, with the aim of reducing congestion in and around the town.

The spokesman added: "As well as the most challenging, this will be the most impressive section of all the Gull Wing deliveries and we look forward to sharing with you the arrival of the huge J beams into town when it happens."

Simon Bretherton, project director at Suffolk County Council, said last month that the installation of the bascule span was the "last significant milestone" in the delivery of the Gull Wing bridge.

Once finished, it will be a third crossing over Lake Lothing for the town.