A design contest has been launched by Suffolk County Council for two new bridges over the River Orwell in Ipswich.
The Orwell Crossings Project is set to cost around £77 million and will see two new crossings built near the town’s waterfront area, along with the refurbishment of the existing swing bridge across the lock which gives access to the Wet Dock and its marina facilities.
The scheme aims to reduce traffic congestion in the town and improve connections between the town centre and the waterfront, while also acting as a catalyst for more regeneration projects on the wider waterfront area.
The county council is looking to hire an architectural team and has contacted the services of the Royal British Institute of Architects (RIBA) Competitions to search for the suitable team.
The existing project team led by WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, which is to have responsibility to provide civil and structural engineering input to the project, will be joined by the appointed architectural team.
It is also expected that the scheme will look to use early contractor involvement to help develop the design concepts.
Guy McGregor, Suffolk County Councillor, commented: “We want to open up the design competition to find the most suitable architectural expert team to work with Suffolk County Council in the crucial design of this major project for the county town of Ipswich and Suffolk.
“We are getting some really positive feedback through our current consultation on this project and we look forward to working with the winning architectural team to realise a design that fits with Ipswich ambitions and continued success in the future.”
More project background and selection process details are available to be viewed in a Memorandum of Information available from: www.architecture.com/riba/competitions/enteracompetition/livecompetitions.aspx
A pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) and scope for procurement of architectural services can be received by registering with Suffolk County Council’s e-Tendering system at: www.suffolksourcing.co.uk
