A river bridge that carries the railway over the River Yare in Reedham, Norfolk, has been in urgent need of repair.

The bridge is a special swing bridge that allows larger boats to pass through.

The bridge suffered a major mechanical fault with its central bearing, preventing it from swinging open safely.

Teams have been on site, carrying out preparatory works ahead of a full bearing replacement.

Un til the 7th August, engineers will be on site continuing the preparatory works, which is set to include a temporary support frame.

On the 8th and 9th August, the bearing will be removed, and from the 10th to 28th August, an assessment of the mechanism will be carried out ahead of new component installation.

The new bearing will be installed on the 29th and 30th of August, with follow-up testing and works being carried out until mid-September.

The issue with the 123-year-old bridge has not affected services thus far, but it will during the repair works.

Services will not be crossing the bridge on the 8th, 9th, 29th, and 30th of August to allow the work to be carried out safely.

Buses will be in place between Norwich and Lowestoft, with variations in place that should be checked online.

The bridge is still able to open on a limited basis, with three bridge opening slots set for the next week:

• Friday 31 July – 09:13 to 10:01
• Tuesday 4 August – 09:13 to 10:01 and 18:13 to 19:01

“We’re so sorry for the disruption to boat users, passengers and neighbours caused by the mechanical fault at Reedham swing bridge. This will be a major, complex repair of a bridge that is both a critical piece of infrastructure and an important heritage landmark for the region. We are working flat out to get Reedham back into working order again.”

Joe Kennedy, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail Anglia