Work on bridge to cost £6m - National Highways

Work to replace two joints on a major bridge is set to cost £6m, a National Highways boss said.

Two expansion joints on the westbound carriageway of Orwell Bridge, on the A14 near Ipswich, will be replaced from 16 June until August.

Simon Amor, head of scheme delivery for National Highways in the East, said despite the cost of the work, the new joints would last for 50 years.

He added that staff would be working "around the clock" to ensure minimal disruption for drivers.

"This work is costing around £6m so it's a big undertaking," Mr Amor said.

"The positive thing is these joints will last for 50 years so once the work is done we won't have to come back for many, many years.

"It is very complicated work so we have to extract the expansion joints from the bridge structure itself without damaging the bridge.

"So it is technical and delicate, it's a bit like major surgery on a bridge."

The bridge has four of these joints in total - two on each side, with the eastbound carriageway's likely to be replaced within the next five years, according to Mr Amor.

He added that carrying out the work in the summer was best for the workers with good weather and more daylight hours.

Mr Amor said he was confident the work would be finished by the end of August.

More than 60,000 vehicles cross the 1km (0.6 mile) bridge - a key link to the Port of Felixstowe - every single day.

There will be various lane and road closures during the work, which have been detailed on National Highways' website.

Public information events have also been planned where people were able to meet the project team and ask questions.

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