Motorists who use the A47 are being reminded that major work to repair bridges at a King’s Lynn junction will begin on Monday (23).

The bridges at the Saddlebow interchange to the south of the town were damaged when they were struck by an over-height vehicle. Now the bridges are being repaired as part of a wider £18 million package of work to maintain the A47 in Norfolk, which consists of around 70 different schemes on the A47.

Highways England project manager Ajith Nair said: “Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Highways England, and this work we are doing on Saddlebow Bridge and elsewhere on the A47 will improve both safety and journey quality for drivers.

“While we want to limit the impact that the work will have on people’s journeys, we are aware that this work will have an effect on drivers in this area. We will be working overnight and at weekends where we can to minimise this disruption, with the diversion routes agreed with our partners and kept as short as possible.”

The £3.1 million work on the bridges will start on Monday and should be completed by Easter.

It will involve lifting up the bridges to then dig out the beams, removing the concrete and ultimately taking out and replacing the damaged beams on each bridge.

Both the bridges carrying the A148 over the A47 at the Saddlebow interchange will be closed throughout the project.

Part of the A47 westbound will be closed 24/7 throughout the works, though two lanes will remain running in both directions. During the closures, drivers will be diverted via the nearby A47 Pullover roundabout (when heading westbound) and A47 Hardwick interchange (eastbound).

There will also be up to eight weekends of closures of the A47 beneath Saddlebow Bridge (from 8pm Friday to 6am Monday – none throughout December) to carry out the replacement of the beams safely. Whenever the A47 is closed here, there will be a short ‘up-and-over’ diversion across the Saddlebow junction. The bridges will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists throughout this time.

While the closures are in place, Highways England will also complete resurfacing of the four slip roads and the junction roundabout itself. There will be no closures over the festive period.