Bidding opens for £75m Great Yarmouth bridge contract

Norfolk County Council is advertising for a contractor to design and build a third river crossing in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.The Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing scheme will provide a more-southerly crossing over the River Yare, creating a more direct link between the western and eastern parts of Great Yarmouth.Main contract value is estimated at £75m in the contract notice. Budget for the overall project is currently set at £120m.The new crossing will join Harfreys Roundabout in Great Yarmouth and over the river to South Denes Road. It will link the A47 to the South Denes Business Park, Enterprise Zone, Great Yarmouth Energy Park and the Outer Harbour, all of which are to the east of the River Yare on the South Denes peninsula.The works include the design, construction and initial operating and maintenance of a new single-span opening bridge with a 50-metre navigable clearance, carrying a dual carriageway road across the River Yare; the design and construction of the associated approach roads and junctions; and the necessary realignment of the existing highway.The project timetable envisages statutory consultations starting this spring, with an application for a development consent order being submitted in nearly 2019. Construction would then start in 2020 for completion in 2022.