The UK town of Yarmouth yesterday (Thursday) celebrated the official opening of its third river crossing, a new moveable bridge that will ease congestion and improve access for businesses.
The Herring Bridge, a single-span double-leaf bascule bridge carries two lanes of traffic, and pedestrians and cyclists on the A47 road over the river Yare. It has been open to river traffic since November, and we reported on the installation of the leaves last spring (link opens in new tab).
The Herring Bridge, Great Yarmouth. Credit: H&H
The Herring Bridge was designed by H&H, in partnership with Roughan & O’Donovan (ROD) and the construction work was carried out by a joint venture of BAM and Farrans. The bridge takes just 90 seconds to open and close. It is powered by a closed-loop hydraulic drive system comprising tandem pairs of hydraulic cylinders in a push-pull system.
Norfolk County Council, which commissioned the Herring Bridge, organised a procession and ribbon cutting to welcome the public on to the new crossing.