Upper Orwell Crossing: Ipswich bridge plan scrapped after £8m spent

A river crossing project is to be halted after a council said it had "exhausted" funding opportunities, despite having already spent £8m.

Suffolk County Council is ready to axe the Upper Orwell Crossing project in Ipswich, saying it is unaffordable.

The three-bridge scheme had previously been put on hold while the authority attempted to raise an additional £43m in funding.

The council now plans to build two smaller crossings.

Suffolk County Council said it would honour its commitment to provide a maximum of £10.8m for the new project.

The Upper Orwell Crossings project started in 2015 and was initially predicted to cost about £97m, but an independent review said it would be closer to £139m.

The Conservative-run council has previously said £8m had been spent since the project got under way, following a £77m government grant.

The review found ground investigation costs, changes to the bridge design and unforeseen procurement costs had caused the cost to spiral.

Council leader Matthew Hicks said the council would meet its commitments made in 2016.

He said: "It is very disappointing that we have been unable to secure any additional funding for the Upper Orwell Crossings and that the existing project will have to stop with immediate effect.

"We have exhausted all funding opportunities including the Department for Transport, HM Treasury, local businesses and other stakeholders."