Great Yarmouth's Herring Bridge running 'fault free' after teething problems

• ITV News Anglia's Rob Setchell was given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Great Yarmouth's Herring Bridge

A £121 million bridge in Great Yarmouth is now running "fault free" and is helping to ease congestion in the Norfolk coastal town.

The Herring Bridge was three-years in construction and faced teething problems when it opened in February.

A issue with a sensor saw a brief closure of the bridge, but construction manager Richard Hayman says it is all fixed and they have not seen a repetition of the problem.

He said: "We've been running pretty much fault free now for nearly three months so going forward I'm very positive about the future of this project."

He added the project had been a "career highlight" and a "massive engineering challenge".

It takes just 90 seconds for the 800-tonne steel bridge leaves to rise and allow river traffic to pass.

The project cost £121 million and required parts and software from across the world. Tens of thousands of tonnes of concrete had to be buried beneath the water.

Construction was held up first by river voles and then by the discovery of a Second World War bomb.

Mr Hayman said: "It has thrown up more than its fair share of challenges along the way but, having been in this industry for as long as I have, nothing ever surprises you.

"But it's not the problems that occur, it's how you get over them and the team has done a brilliant job over the years."

Norfolk County Council will soon pick an operator to run the bridge for the long term.

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