Bridge to Newhaven port successfully installed

Cleveland Bridge has installed a new three-span steel composite bridge as part of the Newhaven Port Access Road scheme.

Requiring an overall steel tonnage of 360t, the bridge spans two waterways and the Seaford to Newhaven railway line. The middle Mill Creek span is 46.7m-long, while the outer spans of the structure are both 37m-long.

The project needed a total of nine pairs of bridge beams to be delivered to site and due to the size of the vehicles needed to transport the components a police escort was required.

A local council spokesperson said: “We are extremely grateful to residents and road users around Newhaven for their patience during these deliveries.

“Our contractors managed to keep disruption to a minimum by using boats for many material deliveries, but the logistics of getting braced pairs of bridge beams measuring up to 46.7m-long to site meant they had to come by road.”

The Newhaven Port Access Road is expected to be completed by autumn this year and will create a direct access to the East Quay. It will form a route to allocated development land, which will open up 80,000m² of business space, allowing the creation of new jobs.

The scheme is being funded by a £10M grant from the Local Growth Fund money through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and £13.2M from the county council’s capital programme.