Royal opening for the Gull Wing bridge

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has officially opened the Gull Wing Bridge in Lowestoft.

Crowds lined the bridge as Her Royal Highness unveiled a commemorative plaque formally opening the iconic structure.

The new bridge opened publicly to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles in September, and is already bringing huge benefits through reduced congestion and improved mobility around the town, according to businesses and residents.

On arrival at the offices of Suffolk County Council at Riverside, Her Royal Highness met the High Sheriff of Suffolk, Mrs Yvonne Gilchrist Mason OBE, Councillor Anthony Speca, the chair of East Suffolk Council, Mayor of Lowestoft Councillor Nasima Begum, MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato, and Councillor Liz Harsant, the chair of Suffolk County Council.

The Princess was introduced to people and teams that worked on the bridge project, including with the planning, design and construction.

During a tour of the bridge itself, The Princess Royal saw the bascule wings up close before going into the control tower. Here, Her Royal Highness pressed a button raising the bridge and allowing through The Excelsior, a traditional Lowestoft fishing smack.

The Princess is Patron of the Excelsior Trust, which restored and operates the boat.

Back on the bridge, The Princess was invited by Councillor Harsant to unveil a commemorative plaque recording her visit and officially opening the bridge.

The Princess then met Jack Baldry, aged 16, Hayden Nicholls and Eva Ainslie, both 15, the Lowestoft young people who coined the name ‘Gull Wing’ in a competition for local schools.

They were Year 6 pupils at Somerleyton Primary School and took the inspiration for the name from the shape of the bascule span's beams and their resemblance to the wings of a gull.

Councillor Matthew Hicks, the leader of Suffolk County Council, said: “It was a great honour for Suffolk to welcome Her Royal Highness to Lowestoft to open this landmark bridge.

“It is a wonderful piece of engineering that is already bringing significant benefits to the town and will do so for decades to come, so it was only fitting it should receive a Royal visit to formally mark its opening.”

Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood said: “I know the importance of the Gull Wing Bridge to the people of East Suffolk. It will be transformational for local people and businesses.

“Our £73 million investment in this iconic structure will improve journey times through the town, and better connect communities to spread growth as we embark on our decade of national renewal.”

The bridge was built on behalf of Suffolk County Council by leading civil engineering contractor Farrans and provides a long-awaited third crossing over Lake Lothing.

It significantly eases traffic congestion in the town centre, shortening journey times, and improving journey reliability, and helping to attract new investment to Lowestoft.