Another milestone reached for new bypass

Another major milestone in the construction of Long Stratton's new bypass was reached this week with the installation of the pre-cast concrete beams to create a new road bridge on Hall Lane.

Each of the 10 beams, weighing up to 33 tonnes each and measuring over 17 metres, were carefully lifted into place using a 300 tonne crane.

The bridge deck will now be formed using reinforced concrete before surfacing is laid to link the approaches being constructed on either side.

This milestone follows last week's successful installation of the new footbridge at Church Lane.

The Hall Lane bridge is a single-carriageway road bridge which will carry traffic on Hall Lane over the new bypass, with a footway for pedestrians.

Both bridges are expected to come into use later this summer with the bypass open to traffic by the end of the year.

Grahame Bygrave, Director of Highways, Transport and Waste at Norfolk County Council said: "It's fantastic to see the speed at which the new bypass is coming together and this is another really exciting step forward in its construction. The new road will reduce congestion in the town, benefitting local residents and our wider economy for years to come".

Jamie Harrison, Delivery Director Highways at Octavius Infrastructure "We're delighted to have started installing the second bridge within one week after completing the footbridge. This marks another key milestone in delivering this vital scheme for the local area. A huge thank you to our trusted supply chain partners for their support and to the local community for their patience as we construct the new bypass."

The new A140 bypass, which is a priority infrastructure project for the county, will be a single carriageway road that will provide a new roundabout junction at Church Lane to the north, extending from this junction on the east side of Long Stratton going south for approximately 2.4 miles, where it will re-join the existing A140 near Oakside farm. 

Work includes two further new roundabouts at Edges Lane and Parkers Lane and the two bridges currently under construction at Church Lane and Hall Lane.

This project is a true collaboration with South Norfolk Council, Norfolk Homes and major funding commitments from both The Department for Transport (£26.2m) and the Greater Norwich Growth Board (£14.5m), plus local developer contributions supporting the £46.9m overall budget.