Red7Marine’s jack up barge, the Haven Seajack 4, was recently deployed from its yard in Ipswich to support Fugro in carrying out site investigation works for the new Upper Orwell Crossings.

The proposed Upper Orwell Crossings span across three locations.

The first crossing to the South of the Wet Dock Island will connect the east and west banks which will be operational for all road users including both cyclists and pedestrians.

Crossing B at New Cut will connect the west bank to the Wet Dock Island and will again be used by all road users.

The final crossing will be located over the Prince Philip Lock which will connect the east bank to the Wet Dock Island. This will be used by cyclists and pedestrians only.

The project will ensure the continued success of the waterfront, marina and port and will be a key part of the regeneration of the southern section of town. The new crossings will also decrease congestion in Ipswich and on the A14 and improve connectivity to promote sustainable transport.

The Upper Orwell Crossings will reduce journey times by approximately 18% during the morning commute and improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. There are also many economic benefits from the new crossings including more business, more jobs, improved business productivity and opportunities for public space improvements.

Fugro has been investigating the geology for the proposed bridges to allow the design of the new foundations to be undertaken. Deep boreholes were drilled overwater and on land to retrieve core samples of the underlying material so the cores could be sent for geotechnical analysis. To facilitate the overwater boreholes, the drilling equipment is operating from Red7Marine’s Haven Seajack 4 and a jack up barge from Fugro

Nick Offord, CEO at Red7Marine commented: “We are delighted to be supporting Fugro with the ground investigation works for the new Upper Orwell Crossings. Our yard is based in Ipswich so we feel very well connected to the project. We are also moving to a new office at Fox’s Marina in Ipswich meaning it will soon be our home turf.”