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  4. Herring Bridge: opening a new chapter for Great Yarmouth

Our multidisciplinary expertise and partnership approach helped take Great Yarmouth’s new river crossing – a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project – from inception to successful completion in just seven years.

Location

  • England, UK


Named the Herring Bridge following a public vote, Great Yarmouth’s third river crossing creates new opportunities for the town and its people. The £121m dual carriageway bascule bridge links the A47 at Harfrey’s roundabout directly to the port and new enterprise zone on the other side of the River Yare. The bridge will ease traffic congestion on the town’s roads, shorten journey times for all modes of travel and improve journey reliability, as well as support wider plans to maximise investment, regeneration and economic growth opportunities across the town and wider borough.

The new bridge improves connectivity between the strategic road network and Great Yarmouth’s Port and the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft (New Anglia) Enterprise Zone. The port is a hub for the growing offshore wind industry where Norfolk County Council and partners currently have a new £24.9 million purpose built Operations and Maintenance Campus under construction to service this growing sector. Improving access for port traffic will help service this facility. And by reducing congestion in the town centre, Herring Bridge is also supporting efforts to develop the town’s tourist industry, which has also seen several recent key investments.

Government funding secured
£98m £98m
Port refurbishment catalysed
£24.9m £24.9m
Years from inception to completion 
7 7

Partnership from strategic advisory to delivery

We’re proud to have been involved in this transformational project since its inception. Back in 2016, our planning and advisory teams worked with Norfolk County Council to develop the project's objectives and put together a business case. Our analysis showed that the bridge would improve access and spark regeneration as well as encouraging active travel by providing a new walking, cycling and wheeling link between the east and west of the town. The business case identified a benefit-to-cost ratio of 2.7:1, which secured £98m of fast-track funding from the Department for Transport.

A picture of Herring Bridge in Great Yarmouth from above, showing the bridge across the River Yar with large boats on one side of it

The bridge was designed as a single span, double-leaf bascule bridge to enable marine movement of larger ships down the River Yare.

Our design teams then collaborated on outline designs so Norfolk County Council could procure a design-and-build contractor early. With specialist contractor BAM Farrans JV appointed, the council could incorporate their bridge design and construction details into the project ahead of the Development Consent Order (DCO) application. This saved both time and money, keeping the project on track and alleviating construction risks.

Projects like this do not happen by accident, they are the result of significant hard work by many people, and you have all played a part in this.
David Allfrey NCC Interim Director of Highways and Waste
A picture of WSP’s project team Jennifer Warhurst, Charles Ferrar and Joanna Lyon in front of a plaque marking the opening of the Herring Bridge in Great Yarmouth

WSP’s project team at the opening including Environmental Assessment Consultant Jennifer Warhurst, Client Director Charles Ferrar and Project Director Joanna Lyon.

Local government as an effective vehicle for infrastructure delivery at scale

This project has enhanced Norfolk County Council’s reputation with both local people and central government. It is proof that local authorities – backed by expertise from consultants and contractors – can, and do, deliver Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. From the beginning, the council was adamant that the demanding programme should not slip. And we worked alongside our client and the contractor to ensure we kept it on track. The key? A long-term collaborative partnership between our committed multidisciplinary team of over 200 experts and Norfolk County Council.

The speed with which this bridge project has progressed from the original business case, through the DCO planning process and then construction is a testament to the great partnership between WSP, Norfolk County Council and the contractor, BAM Farrans JV.
Joanna Lyon Project Director, WSP

Working as a team with our client throughout the project made us, together, faster and more effective. Project meetings brought together technical and client leadership to share knowledge, experience and updates – driving delivery. Meetings in Norfolk enabled the procurement team and consultation officers to meet our team and improve ways of working.

With a consistent team (many of our specialists worked on the project for its entire duration) we were able to forge strong client relationships at all levels, not just between senior leaders. This consistency also helped to retain knowledge within the project team and supported the rapid decision-making that was vital to steer the Herring Bridge through consenting and construction.

This project was as rewarding as it was demanding, and we are excited to have played a central role in creating infrastructure on which Great Yarmouth can build a prosperous future.