The leaves weigh 770 tonnes each and were installed during a 72 hour river possession.
The construction stage started in January 2021 with the accommodation, enabling and demolition works. This was followed by the in river marine works and construction of the approach embankments which support two underpass and the bascule bridge (opening bridge).
Once complete the local road network will be upgraded with a five-arm roundabout and dual carriageway.
The bridge will link the A47 at Harfrey’s roundabout to the port and the enterprise zone on the other side of the river.
Farrans has also overseen arrival of the second and third major steel sections of the Gull Wing bridge in Lowestoft following an 8-hour crossing on a barge from Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Farrans is constructing the bridge for Suffolk County Council and in the coming days the sections will be lifted from the barge and positioned on to the pier so that they can be joined together.
This will be done by bolting the splices before lining and levelling the sections into the correct position. Following this, the concrete decks will be cast before the street furniture and surfacing are placed.
This week also saw the arrival of the crane that we will use to lift these sections of the bridge. The Liebherr LR1600 is a 600 tonne capacity crane that was delivered on 18 articulated lorries and took three days to assemble.
