Herring Bridge wins Road Bridge of the Year at NCE Bridges Awards 2024

Herring Bridge, which was constructed by BAM Farrans JV for Norfolk County Council, has won Road Bridge of the Year at the inaugural NCE Bridges Awards.

Herring Bridge, Great Yarmouth’s Third River Crossing, is a nationally significant infrastructure project to ease traffic congestion, improve journey reliability and generate investment and regeneration in the town and wider borough.

Delivered by BAM Farrans JV, it featured the design and construction of a double bascule bridge of a size and scale not common in the UK. The success of this technically challenging engineering project is due to collaboration between Norfolk County Council, BFJV and designers, bringing the best problem solvers together. The team delivered Herring Bridge with an exceptional level of community integration and significant social value legacy.

The gala award ceremony was held on 18th July 2024 at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s with over 400 industry figures in attendance.

More than 175 awards submissions were considered by a panel of 40 expert judges.

The Road Bridge Project of the Year award sought to recognise excellence in new build or major road refurbishment project in the UK, in the last year.

Speaking about Herring Bridge the event compere said:

“The judges found this project to be a very impressive and interesting scheme. The project demonstrated an impressive scheme under challenging conditions, meeting time and budget targets. It featured a well-structured approach with clear coverage of the judging criteria and significant attention to minimizing carbon impacts. Enhancing community wellbeing and resilience, while blending seamlessly with the landscape and incorporating innovative construction methods was commendable. Keep it up!”

Tony Mulholland, Project Director for BAM Farrans JV, said:

“This award is a fantastic recognition of the work and professionalism of our project team during a challenging project. We began construction during the Covid pandemic and this required a new approach with greater flexibility and resilience. We have been pleased to see the positive impact that Herring Bridge has had for the town of Great Yarmouth since opening in February.” 

New Civil Engineer editor Gavin Pearson said:

“Bridges have epitomised civil engineering for centuries and these awards recognise the best of the best as the industry continues to enhance its social, environmental and economic impact.

“From incredible work in maintaining historic bridges, right through to innovative new bridge concepts, our judges were impressed with the remarkable calibre and range of entries across the award categories, with the winners providing a terrific benchmark of best practice.”