Construction of A140 Long Stratton bypass continues with new footbridge

A major milestone has been reached in the construction of a bypass set to cost nearly £50 million.

A 42-metre-long steel footbridge was lifted into place over the A140 this week as part of a project to deliver a bypass for Long Stratton.

The 90-tonne structure, which was fabricated in Kent, was delivered in two sections before a 750-tonne mobile crane was used to fit the new bridge over the road.

Jamie Harrison, highways delivery director at Octavius Infrastructure, which is overseeing the bypass on behalf of Norfolk County Council, said: “I am pleased with the dedication of the team in achieving this important lift. It takes a high level of planning and collaboration between the factory and the site team to ensure a perfect fit.

“The project is currently progressing well in all areas and, with the warmer weather approaching, we remain confident of delivering everything on time.

“This important milestone in the scheme has only been possible due to the collaboration of our key partner, Norfolk County Council, and our supply chain partners, working together to deliver this project for the local community.”

Further work needed to be done includes two new roundabouts at Edges Lane and Parkers Lane, a vehicular road bridge over the new bypass at Hall Lane, as well as another footbridge in Church Lane at the northern end of the scheme.

The bypass will stretch from a new roundabout at Church Lane to the north, going east for about 2.4 miles, before rejoining the existing A140 near Oakside Farm.

The wider project – a collaboration between Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council – includes the creation of 1,875 new homes, new employment land and a site for a new primary school.

Funding has come from both the Department for Transport (£26.2m) and the Greater Norwich Growth Board (£14.5m), plus local developers to support the road’s £46.9 million overall budget.

The new footbridge is expected to come into public use later this summer with the bypass open to traffic by the end of the year.

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