The council will now take its final decision on whether to proceed with the project at a cabinet meeting in July, once the successful contractor has submitted its final price.

BAM Nuttall was originally picked to design and build the project, but the council decided to retender the tilting bridge scheme for Lowestoft after its price exceeded the council’s budget.

Councillor Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said: “This is a significant step forward, and we will continue to make good progress behind the scenes in these unprecedented and challenging times.

“The tender period for construction contractors comes to an end later in May and we are concluding our final business case to access the funding from the government.”

Subject to a successful outcome to the tendering process, the July Cabinet report will name the bridge, authorise its senior managers to choose a construction contractor and complete the final business case for the Department for Transport.

Suffolk County Council had expected a decision from the Government last December, but the General Election and Ministerial changes contributed to delays of the announcement and unwelcome uncertainty for the project.