A14 Orwell Bridge sees week-long 40mph speed limit ahead of repairs

A week-long 40mph speed limit is in place on the A14 at Orwell Bridge ahead of repairs.

The speed limit, which was introduced yesterday afternoon, will be in place 24 hours a day on the westbound carriageway until the works are expected to be completed at 6am on Friday, December 6.

Meanwhile, all other work will be completed over two nights between 8pm and 6am starting on Wednesday, December 4 2024, weather permitting.

A spokesman for National Highways East, said: “For safety reasons, while we continue to monitor the bridge joints ahead of the scheduled works, the speed limit will be reduced to 40mph on the westbound carriageway from Friday, November 29 until repairs are complete.

“All other work will be completed over two nights between 8pm and 6am starting on Wednesday, December 4, weather permitting.

“As a reminder, essential maintenance is needed to the westbound bridge joints to ensure the bridge remains in a safe and serviceable condition.

“To carry out the work safely, we will close one lane across the bridge, the other will remain open allowing drivers to continue crossing the bridge. All lanes will remain open during the day.”

Orwell Bridge now has new electronic signs on the bridge which display a maximum driver speed limit of 60mph for wind speeds of up to 45mph, or a 40mph driver speed limit if wind speeds of between 45mph to 60mph are forecast.

Speed cameras are in place on the bridge to enforce the maximum speed limits displayed on the electronic speed signs.

Orwell Bridge is now able to remain open to drivers more often during storms, and that means less congestion in town due to bridge closures.

The spokesman added: “We only close the bridge for safety reasons when it is essential, and for as short a time as possible. The bridge will be closed if wind speeds of 60mph or above predicted due to the safety risk to motorists”.

A year-long study was made on the aerodynamic properties of the Orwell Bridge, to identify potential steps that we can take to keep the Orwell Bridge open to traffic during high winds.

The report was carried out on our behalf by City University of London and they used the latest computer technology designed to test vehicle stability specifically on the Orwell Bridge.

The bridge was split into 15 million ‘cells’ for the study and 36,000 tests were run. They assessed the collision risks for different types of vehicles and wind directions.

The aerodynamic study concluded that the current wind limit of 60mph for closing the bridge is correct for safety, but that reducing the traffic speed limit down from 60mph during high winds means that the bridge can remain safely open when the wind is at certain speeds.

The findings were theoretical and needed to be validated using a wind tunnel.

Wind tunnel testing was carried out during 2020. These tests mean highways bosses now understand better how winds of different speeds and directions can affect the safety of traffic on the bridge.

A road safety audit was also carried out to confirm that the new signs do not pose any safety issues.

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