Bridge Farm Bridge, A1088 Stowlangtoft - bridge replacement.

Consultations have taken place with representatives from the local community, who have expressed concerns regarding local roads being used to bypass the closure, without using the official diversion route. Several major routes have been highlighted.

In order to prepare these routes for a higher volume of traffic, reactive repair and vegetation works and will be carried out prior to commencement of the closure. Suffolk Highways will inspect these routes shortly, assess the extent of required repairs and schedule these to be carried out. The routes in question can be found below in ATTACHMENT A and are marked in red.

In addition to the above, temporary advisory speed limits will be implemented on several of these routes, for the safety of local residents and as a traffic calming measure. Advisory limits can be found below in attachment A and are marked in light blue.

A plan showing the diversion route for these works, along with signage which will be placed along the route, can be found in below in attachment B.

In addition to this, significant signage will be placed on local routes. The locations of this signage can be found below in attachment C – please note that the sign type is not included in this document and can be found below in attachment C1.

Recognising the potential volume of queries we may receive regarding these works, a dedicated email address has been set up for residents to contact us on. If you have any questions or concerns, please email A1088BridgeFarmBridge@milestoneinfra.co.uk and we will respond as quickly as possible.

28 January 2025 update: Last week, we poured the new concrete slab for the bridge, which will be added to this week to form both edge beams that will support new fencing across the structure. Once this has been completed, we will install new drainage and backfill the excavations on either side of the bridge. We will then apply waterproofing to the new bridge deck and lay kerbs and ducting. Following this, teams will lay asphalt surfacing across the new bridge and on both approaches, including new road markings.

The final stages of the project will see us divert utility cables across the new bridge before we remove the site compound to enable the road to reopen. The above is weather dependent but we are hopeful that the scheme will be completed in the first week in March, with this being a week later than originally planned to accommodate works being carried out by UK Power Networks.

7 January 2025 update: Following construction commencing in late July, the previous bridge has been demolished and the installation of concrete piles, steel reinforcement, and concrete supports has been undertaken to form a solid foundation for the new structure.

In the past week, the beams for the new bridge have also been installed, marking a significant milestone on the project. Although the scheme suffered unexpected delays during the autumn, due to an issue with the supply of materials, good progress continues to be made.

At present, it is anticipated that the new bridge will be completed by the end of February 2025. However, this may be subject to change if Suffolk experiences further adverse weather over the coming months.

26 November 2024 update: Construction of the supports for the new bridge are underway and the steel reinforcement is nearing completion on the southern side of the structure. Works continue on the northern side, with the additional piles being prepared for the steel reinforcement.

Teams will shortly be installing timber shuttering to both sides of the bridge ahead of a concrete pour to strengthen the supports. Thank you again to the local community and highway users for their continued patience during these essential improvement works.

8 November 2024 update: Works recommenced on site last week (commencing 28 October) and we have now completed the installation of seven new piles to support the northern side of the structure in recent days. This will enable works to construct the new bridge abutments and deck to progress. We are currently updating the construction programme such that the revised completion date can be confirmed.

In the interim, we have provisionally extended our road space booking until 28 February 2025. We are hopeful that this will allow sufficient time for us to rectify the issues identified with the concrete and complete construction of the new bridge, however this date may be subject to change if there are prolonged periods of cold and wet weather during the winter.

One.network is now showing the extended road space booking and the advanced warning signs advising of the road closure will also be updated once we have finalised our revised programme.

We apologise for any ongoing inconvenience caused by this unforeseen delay and would also like to thank the local community for their continued patience in the interim.

25 October 2024 update: We are pleased to confirm that works will restart on the northern side of the structure shortly, following the design and approval of a solution to concerns regarding the concrete. Teams will be on site next week, and the installation of new piles to support the north side of the bridge is planned to commence during week commencing 4 November 2024. We are awaiting the results of additional testing to give an understanding of any works which may be required. We will provide confirmation of our revised programme once the results have been received and reviewed.

The advanced warning signs advising of the road closure will remain in place, and the dates will not be amended until we receive confirmation of the revised programme. We apologise for any ongoing inconvenience caused by the delay and would also like to thank the local community for their continued patience.

9 October 2024 update: In the last few weeks, the concrete piling was installed, vegetation was removed, and the existing road was excavated to enable the existing bridge to be demolished, which happened a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, in the last few days we have identified some issues with the concrete piles which have been installed. We are currently investigating and discussing these issues with the company who supplied the concrete, as well as other key stakeholders, to assess the impact of these issues and determine the best course of action to resolve them.

Works have been temporarily paused for a brief period whilst this happens. This is consequently likely to have an impact on the duration of our programme of works, although the extent of this is yet to be confirmed. Our teams are working through alternative solutions, each of which have different construction and design requirements resulting in varying programme durations.

We will continue to provide regular updates as more information becomes available to us. These updates will be communicated via email and on our social media channels, as well as being provided on this page.

 Due to the nature of works, it is unfortunately not safe to reopen the road whilst works are paused, and it is essential that we continue to work proactively to ensure that the scheme is completed as soon as possible. The advanced warning signs advising of the road closure will remain in place, and the scheme dates on these will not be amended until we receive confirmation of the revised programme.

We sincerely apologise for the delay in the bridge replacement works and are conscious of the impact this will have on local communities. Please be reassured that we are continuing to work towards a solution minimise the overall duration of the works, so that the A1088 can be re-opened as soon as it is safe to do so. 

20 September 2024 update: Permanent pile foundations have been installed on both sides of the bridge, following the successful installation and testing of the temporary test pile. Demolition of the previous bridge has also commenced and temporary platforms have been constructed to capture any debris.

Once the demolition debris has been removed from site, we will begin the next exciting phase of the project by starting construction of the new bridge structure.

6 September 2024 update: Vegetation clearance is complete, including the removal of a tree which fell into the waterway. The existing carriageway and verge over bridge has been removed and the temporary working platforms have been constructed and tested. Permanent pile foundations have been installed on the northern side of the bridge and works to complete the southern side will be completed this week.

16 August 2024 update: We are making good progress with our A1088 Stowlangtoft Bridge reconstruction works. Vegetation clearance continues on site and the existing road has now been excavated to expose the bridge deck beneath, ahead of demolition.

The concrete test piles are fully cured, and static load testing is underway to ensure they can bear weight.

We are aiming to begin construction of the temporary platforms, to receive the piling rig, next week. This will enable us to start constructing the new bridge foundations during the week commencing 26 August.

Thank you to the local community and highway users for their continued patience during these essential safety improvement works.

7 August 2024 update: Work on site has commenced as scheduled with the completion of the BT and UKPN apparatus diversion away from the bridge area. A section of vegetation has also been cleared to allow for the site compound to be situated whilst the work continues.

Test piles have been taken and whilst they cure for testing the teams will continue to construct the site compound, install the dam and temporary pipework within the waterway. Piling mats will also be constructed ahead of the bridge demolition.

Responsibility for enforcement of weight restrictions lies with the Police and Trading Standards as part of SCC’s Lorry Watch Scheme.  The Police Commercial Vehicle Unit and Trading Standards will be informed in advance of the new Structural Weight Restriction being implemented at the bridge, such that they are aware.

The Lorry Watch Scheme that is run by Trading Standards aims to help ensure that weight restriction traffic orders are not being abused.  Any vehicle that is reported as having abused a weight restriction traffic order can be reported to the Lorry Watch team who will investigate and enforce in accordance with the scheme. For further details, please visit Lorry Watch scheme 

There’s also a procedure in place to enable anyone to report a problem or incident with lorries and their drivers that are using inappropriate roads or routes.

For details on how to report a problem or incident with a HGV, please visit Report an incident with a heavy goods vehicle

Suffolk County Councils lorry route network can be found online via Lorry Route Plan review in Suffolk.

Why are the works being carried out? 

Suffolk County Council completed a structural assessment of Bridge Farm Bridge on the A1088 north of Stowlangtoft. The assessment indicated that the bridge is unable to carry full highway loading safely and has concluded that a 7.5T Structural Weight Restriction needs to be applied to protect the structure and ensure the safety of highway users, pending the reconstruction of the bridge. 

Why are these works scheduled to take five months?

This is a complex and challenging project which involves lots of different aspects, including the removal of the existing structure, clearance of local vegetation, utility service diversions, construction of new concrete piled foundations and construction of the new bridge and associated drainage, carriageway, and safety barrier works.

Whilst some structures lend themselves to being installed in shorter time periods this is often due to construction taking place away from the carriageway prior to being lifted into place, which is not possible with the A1088 due to the unique materials required. Where possible, preparatory work is being completed away from the carriageway to reduce the overall timescale of works.

Which way should I go whilst the road is closed?

The A1088 is closed either side of Bridge Farm Bridge, until the new structure has been completed. For the duration of this closure, traffic will be diverted via the A1088, A14, A143 and vice versa.

A full map of this diversion route, as well as other roadworks, can be found on one.network website. You can also find more information on diversion routes.

Will there be more traffic on local routes?

Following consultation with the local community, significant temporary signage has been placed on local routes to discourage road users from seeking unofficial, unsuitable diversion routes. In addition to this, temporary advisory and mandatory speed limits have been installed in Stowlangtoft, Hunston, Badwell Ash, Walsham le Willows, and Pakenham, for the safety of road users and local residents, and as a traffic calming measure.

I am concerned about road users driving dangerously on local roads. Who should I contact?

If you see someone driving dangerously, you should report it to Suffolk Constabulary.

There is more information on driving offences on the Suffolk Constabulary website.