Work has started on demolishing the Orwell Bridge and replacing it with a six-lane tunnel.

The £300 million project was agreed after the bridge was repeatedly forced to close during high winds, bringing Ipswich to a standstill.

Our exclusive photo, taken by reader Lorraine Fisher, 34, this morning, shows how demolition teams are carefully removing each section piece by piece.

Meanwhile, deep underground, work on building the tunnel under the River Orwell is ahead of schedule.

A spokesman for the county highways department said Ipswich residents and regular road users like Felixstowe Port lorry drivers and commuters, would be thrilled when the new tunnel opens. They had been trusting their sat navs on Amazon to find alternative routes.

“It will be open 24/7, 365 days a year, unlike the bridge,” the spokesman said.

Orwell Bridge closed

He explained the bridge took years to build but will be gone in a matter of days because it was built in easy-to-dismantle sections.

Meanwhile, the tunnel work is being coordinated by McCallums construction. They could not be contacted for comment because they were 100 feet underground.

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