Opinion: Lowestoft bridge opens - but what about Ipswich?

People in the town have been campaigning for it for decades - I remember the third river crossing was being talked about when I was a child in the 60s - and those who have seen this through deserve great credit.

The architects and designers have done a great job and former MP Peter Aldous worked fantastically hard to get it pushed through - he's left a brilliant legacy to mark his 14 years in parliament.

I know there has been a glitch since opening - but complex engineering like this is bound to have teething troubles and I'm sure it will transform transport around the town.

But am I the only person to feel rather irritated by all the back-slapping and self-congratulations being handed out to councillors and officers from Suffolk County Council as the bridge opened?

Have they forgotten the political posturing and administrative incompetence that meant that the Orwell River Crossing in Ipswich had to be abandoned because they couldn't work out how to build it?

There was a picture online of council leader Matthew Hicks holding a bag saying "Gull Wing Lowestoft - a promise delivered". I couldn't help thinking there should have been a bag in his other hand saying "Orwell River Crossing Ipswich - a promise broken".

Matthew Hicks proudly showed off this bag - but what about the Ipswich project? (Image: Suffolk County Council)

To be fair to Mr Hicks, although he was leader when the decision to cancel the Orwell River Crossing was taken in 2019, I don't really hold him personally responsible.

He was basically in the position of a new vet brought in to put a once-promising racehorse out of its misery after other vets fouled up its treatment.

Although he can't be completely absolved of blame because he was a member of the administration at Endeavour House when the fatal decisions about the Orwell River Crossing were being made.

There were several reasons for the county's failure to deliver the Orwell River Crossing. But central to these was the lack of political will from all sides.

Within the county council, there has always been a feeling from some members (mainly Conservatives) that Ipswich isn't such a great place and they're not really fussed what happens here.

And within Ipswich Labour Party there was always some suspicion about the project that was dubbed by some as "Ben's Bridge" because one of its most energetic supporters was former MP Ben Gummer.

However while the crossing might not have convinced everyone, The Treasury was convinced that it was worthwhile and offered millions.

This is where recollections differ. I've been told by some that The Treasury felt the county had seriously under-estimated the cost of the project and there wasn't enough in the bid to cover contingencies if prices went up.

The county has always disputed that, saying that a combination of events made it impossible to see the project through.

Whatever the financial reason, the fact is that the county failed to deliver on the promise to deliver the Orwell River Crossing.

And there has been precious little sign of progress on the smaller parts of the proposal - a new bridge over the New Cut between Felaw Street and the Island Site or a new footbridge/cycle path over the lock gates.

If Ipswich is to feel that it's not being ignored by the county council, we really need to see it press ahead with some action on these - but with elections only eight months away and money being as tight as it is, the immediate prospects look bleak.

In the meantime, I'm quite happy to see people in Lowestoft celebrating the new bridge that should benefit their town enormously.

But I hope no one at Suffolk County Council forgets the other part of the county's great investment plan that was scrapped because it was just too tough for them to do!

The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of Paul Geater and do not necessarily reflect views held by this newspaper, its sister publications or its owner and publisher Newsquest Media Group Ltd.