Iconic New Bridge Prompts Tread Carefully Warning!

An iconic new bridge in the Suffolk town of Lowestoft – the Lake Lothing Third Crossing – will not only open a host of economic opportunities in the region, but, as HBPW engineers discovered, the project also came with its very own ‘gently, gently’ warning!

Senior Partner, Paul Withers, said: “This is an amazing project and Farrans Construction asked us to re-design and, where possible, simplify the construction relating to the dolphins and piling, either side of the bridge.”

However, upon closer examination it became evident that a UKPN tunnel was running under the seabed within close proximity to the new structure.

“These tunnels carry a myriad of cabling and wires for a host of functions from electricity to telecoms, so you strike one at your peril! More to the point, in our instance, it was also a case of ensuring that any vibrations from driving piles into the seabed did not cause any damage to the UKPN tunnel.”

In the final event Paul was able to reduce the number of piles specified in the original proposals, by half.

“We also reduced their length from 40m to just 20m each, reducing the overall impact in the area, as well as the top level costs, dramatically.

“I have spent so much of my career making things cheaper and lighter but always ensuring that the resulting structure still does the job for which it was intended.”

The Secretary of State for Transport granted the scheme development consent on 30th April last year, paving the way for compulsory acquisition of land to commence along with construction of the bridge which will carry both vehicles and foot passengers

As a consequence of the innovative design approach put forward by HBPW, Farrans have decided to also put our extensive knowledge of temporary works to good use. We are currently in the process of assisting in the not undaunting task of offloading the NAV ( Northern Approach Viaduct) which will be brought to site via barge before being further assembled to a gross weight in the order of 1500 tonnes before being transported via SPMT into its final location. Ground conditions are challenging and the route crosses railway lines before reaching its final destination.
It is due to open in 2023 and promises to reduce traffic congestion in the town, regenerate the area and attract new investment to the local economy.

“In many ways this has been a labour of love because, over my career, both myself and other members of the HBPW team, have done a considerable amount of maritime engineering work for the likes of Associated British Ports and Peel Ports. Allied to this is our extensive knowledge of bridge engineering. In many ways a professional marriage made in Heaven!”

Client:                Suffolk County Council
Contractor:        Farrans Construction