Orwell Bridge work ahead of schedule

National Highways' work to replace two worn joints on the Orwell Bridge is ‘nearing completion’ ahead of schedule.

The work was originally scheduled to be completed in August, but National Highways now expects the work to be completed by 25 July.

The bridge, which carries the A14 over the River Orwell near Ipswich, had its previous joints installed in 1998, but they have now reached the end of their working lives. The replacements, however, have been designed to last for 50 years and weigh roughly 7.5 tonnes each.

Martin Fellows, National Highways director of the East region, said: ‘Our work has progressed very well and ahead of schedule. 

‘Last week, we reached an important milestone, with the successful installation of the new bridge expansion joints on the westbound carriageway. The new joints have been secured in place and final resurfacing and other preparations to return traffic to the westbound carriageway are currently underway.

‘It is very much weather dependent, but we aim to remove the contraflow in the next few days and fully open the bridge to traffic by the end of next week.’