Orwell Bridge work nearing completion, says National Highways

Work to replace two worn joints on the Orwell Bridge is on track and moving towards completion, says National Highways.

From Saturday evening (July 19), National Highways will begin the process of removing the contraflow and getting the road fully open by the end of next week.

Martin Fellows, National Highways Director of the East Region said: “Our work has progressed very well and ahead of schedule. 

“Last week, we reached an important milestone, with the successful installation of the new bridge expansion joints on the westbound carriageway. The new joints have been secured in place and final resurfacing and other preparations to return traffic to the westbound carriageway are currently underway.

“It is very much weather dependent, but we aim to remove the contraflow in the next few days and fully open the bridge to traffic by the end of next week.

“We thank people for their patience during this essential work.” 

Here’s the timeline of our planned work over the next few days for the full removal of the contraflow (subject to weather):

Saturday 19 July: The A14 between junctions 58 and 56 (including junction 56 entry slip road) closed overnight, from 8pm to 6am in the westbound direction (towards Cambridge).  

Sunday 20 to Tuesday 22 July: Overnight closures in the eastbound direction between junctions 55 and 57 (towards Felixstowe).  

A single lane closure will be in place on the westbound carriageway, with one lane remaining open

Diversion:

During these overnight closures, those travelling along the A14 will be diverted between junction 58 (Seven Hills Interchange) and junction 55 (Copdock) via the A12 and A1214, and vice versa.  

The bridge will remain open in both directions during the day, although one eastbound lane will stay closed to keep our workforce and motorists safe while we complete our work. 

Contraflow will be removed and A14 Orwell Bridge will be fully reopen to traffic in both directions by the end of next week.

Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 July: Traffic Management removal 

There will also be a series of overnight single lane closures in both directions from Wednesday 23 to Friday 25 July, between 8pm and 6am to complete the finishing works and remove the remaining traffic management.  

National Highways expects to carry out some further work to the footway and bridge parapet after the works are completed which may require additional lane closures; however, these will be kept to a minimum and we will keep you informed.  

For the latest information, including diversion route maps, please visit our dedicated webpage here   

If you would like more information, please contact us on 0300 123 5000, or by email at info@nationalhighways.co.uk.  

Notes to Editors

Old bridge joints weigh around 7.5 tonnes each. The previous joints were installed in 1998 and reaching the end of their life. The new ones are designed to last for 50 years.

Bridge joints are crucial components that essentially provide a flexible connection between bridge sections, allowing for movement and expansion of the bridge structure due to factors such as temperature changes, shrinkage and traffic loads.

National Highways is the wholly government-owned company responsible for modernising, maintaining and operating England’s motorways and major A roads.

View our press releases online 

Real-time traffic information for England’s motorways and major A roads is available via its website (www.trafficengland.com), local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile apps. Local Twitter services are also available here www.nationalhighways.co.uk/orwellbridge

For further information please contact National Highways’ press office (24hrs) on 0844 693 1448 and select the most appropriate option below:

Option 1: National enquiries (9am to 5.30pm) & out of hours for urgent enquiries 
Option 2: North West (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 3: Yorkshire, Humber and North East (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 4: West Midlands (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 5: East Midlands (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 6: East (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 7: South East (between 9am & 5.30pm) 
Option 8: South West (between 9am & 5.30pm)