Suffolk CC has secured development consent for a £70 million road bridge in Lowestoft.

The new bridge-the Lake Lothing Third Crossing will be constructed over the estuary in Lowestoft and will link two roads north and south of Lake Lothing.

The multi-span bridge includes a rolling bascule opening section and a section to span the East Suffolk rail line on the north side of the water. The new bridge will have a 12-metre air draft height, enabling smaller vessels to pass underneath.

Suffolk County Council leader Matthew Hicks said: “We now have the seal of planning approval to build a third crossing for Lowestoft, which is very good news. The crossing can make a significant difference as we continue to invest in the area. I’m confident that people will see positive changes, from their daily commute to the wider regeneration of the area. 

“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,” he said. 

Consulting engineer WSP has provided a range of services for the project since 2015 including structures, highways, maritime, land referencing, consultation and stakeholder engagement. It produced the preliminary design for the scheme, environmental statement, consultation report and other key documents for the application.

The next stage is a cabinet meeting in July 2020 that will consider the detail of the planning permission, the outcome of the construction tendering process, the final project cost estimate and the timetable for the project.