Suffolk County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to approve a range of recommendations next week (25 August 2020), which will enable work to begin on Lowestoft’s Lake Lothing Third Crossing.
Members of the Cabinet will be asked to approve the project’s final budget, the award of the contract to build the iconic structure and the name of the bridge following a competition held in local schools.
If the recommendations are approved, the final pieces of the jigsaw will be put into place, such as appointing the company to build the bridge, with construction aiming to start in the spring of 2021.
Councillor Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council, said: “This final, detailed report demonstrates our commitment to build this bridge for the people of Lowestoft and as an investment in Suffolk’s future. For every £1 that we spend on the bridge, the region will see £3 in economic benefit – that’s an incredible return.
“The benefits of this bridge will be felt by the people of Lowestoft and beyond, with jobs and apprenticeships created during, and after, the construction period. Local businesses have told us that they expect to increase their turnover and employ more staff, and other companies will discover that being based in Lowestoft is an even more attractive option, with vastly improved traffic movement and access.
“Lowestoft residents have been waiting a lifetime to see the bridge become a reality, and in just a few years I hope they will be able to walk across it. The project has experienced delays beyond our control, not least the general election in 2019 and of course the coronavirus pandemic. With no other unavoidable delays, we are working towards opening the bridge in the summer of 2023.”
The bridge will be Suffolk’s most significant infrastructure development in recent memory and is one of several substantial projects to transform Lowestoft in the coming years.
As described by the Secretary of State for Transport, the bridge is an “iconic new work of architectural engineering” and will sit alongside the town’s recently unveiled Masterplan and the new flood defences which will protect businesses and residents for the next 100 years.
The report to be submitted to the council’s Cabinet estimates that the cost of delivering the bridge is £126.75m, with an additional £19m allocated as a contingency for any unforeseen risks.
To fund the building of the bridge, Suffolk County Council will spend £6.9m of its own money, receive £73.39m of funding from the Department of Transport and borrow up to £64.96m.
Together with the near-unanimous support for the bridge from residents and businesses, there remains strong backing of the project from the local Member of Parliament and regional bodies:
Peter Aldous, Member of Parliament for Waveney, said: “A Third Crossing of Lake Lothing has been needed for a long time and has been eagerly awaited by people and businesses in Lowestoft as it will bring so many benefits to the local area. It is right that a project of this scale, which is of national significance, should go through a comprehensive process, but it is great news that it is now on the home straight.
“Covid-19 has presented additional challenges, though it has reinforced the need for the Third Crossing, which will play a key role in ensuring an exciting future for Lowestoft. I look forward to continuing to work with Suffolk County Council and all other interested parties to make the most of this great opportunity.”
The report being presented to the council’s Cabinet is possible following the approval of the Development Consent Order to build the bridge from the Secretary of State for the Department for Transport on 30 April 2020.
If the council’s Cabinet approves the recommendations, the next step is for the project’s final business case to be submitted to the Department for Transport by the end of August.
An announcement of the company chosen to build the bridge is expected in September, along with the appointment of a new project director at the council. Then the funding of £73.39m from the Department of Transport is expected to be available in November, with construction work starting on-site in spring 2021.
