The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England from Ipswich to Felixstowe . Above Ipswich, the river is known as the River Gipping , but its name changes to the Orwell at Stoke Bridge , where the river becomes tidal . It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich, where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century, and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe, the UK's largest container port, after joining the River Stour at Shotley forming Harwich harbour.
33-488: The large Orwell Bridge carries the A14 trunk road over the estuary to the south of Ipswich. In the name Orwell , Or- comes from an ancient river-name—probably pre-Celtic; but -well probably indicates an Anglo-Saxon naming. In A tour through England and Wales , written in 1722, Daniel Defoe calls the river "Orwel" (though he does this inconsistently). He also mentions that "a traveller will hardly understand me, especially
66-484: A 711mm water main from the nearby Alton Water reservoir. The necessary inspections still cause major disruption to traffic every six years; during the inspection in the summer of 2005, the delays caused by lane closures and speed restrictions added between 30 and 60 minutes to journey times during the peak commuting periods. The bridge design took into consideration the impact on the Orwell Estuary , as well as
99-436: A contract for £28 million was awarded to VBA, a joint venture between VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and Atkins, for construction of the barrier and associated flood defences on the banks of the river. The barrier is designed to prevent tidal surges passing further up stream, and to enable downstream fluvial flows to be controlled. It provides better flood protection to some 1,500 homes and 400 business properties. The river at
132-517: A derivative of the National 12-foot dinghy, both designed by the sailor Uffa Fox . It now hosts a broad range of sailing events, such as the annual 'Junior Race Week'. Ipswich has in the past been affected by flooding, both fluvial flooding from water passing down the river Gipping, and tidal flooding from tidal surges passing up the estuary of the Orwell, with the river becoming much narrower near to
165-631: A new Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 to take over the last responsibility; later transferred to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy following Theresa May 's appointment as Prime Minister in July 2016. The department was formed in June 2001, under the leadership of Margaret Beckett , when the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)
198-696: A seaman, when I speak of the River Stour and the River Orwell at Harwich, for they know them by no other names than those of Maningtre-Water, and Ipswich-Water". The writer Eric Blair chose the pen name under which he would later become famous, " George Orwell ," because of his love for the river. A few miles north of the Orwell is another Suffolk river, the Ore , and Orfordness, the village port of Orford with its historic castle . The estuary flows through different sections as it makes its way down from Ipswich to
231-504: Is 24 metres with an air draft of 43 metres; the bridge had to be at least 41 metres high. The approach roads were designed by CH Dobbie & Partners of Cardiff , later bought by Babtie, Shaw and Morton then Jacobs in 2004. The bridge is constructed of a pair of continuous concrete box girders with expansion joints that allow for expansion and contraction. The girders are hollow, allowing for easier inspection, as well as providing access for services, including telecom, power, and
264-759: Is home to the Pin Mill Sailing Club and its Hard . Ransome had kept his yacht Selina King at the Pin Mill anchorage in 1937–39. Since the 1970s marinas have opened at Levington (Suffolk Yacht Harbour, pictured), Woolverstone, Fox's (just outside Ipswich), and two marinas in the old Ipswich Wet Dock . Woolverstone is home to the Royal Harwich Yacht Club that was for many years host to the Swordfish 15-foot racing dinghy built by Fairey Marine , in addition to its 12-foot Firefly,
297-686: Is sustainable development, which is defined as "development which enables all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations." The Secretary of State wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister that he saw Defra's mission as enabling a move toward what the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called "one planet living". Under this overarching aim, Defra has five strategic priorities: Defra Headquarters are at 2, Marsham Street , London. It
330-636: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs , by which time the cost of the project had risen to £67.4 million. While most of the funding came from the Environment Agency, some was also provided by Ipswich Borough Council, the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, and UK Power Networks. The 1957 film Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst
363-617: The Defra website. Policies for environment, food and rural affairs are delivered in the regions by Defra's executive agencies and delivery bodies, in particular Natural England , the Rural Payments Agency , Animal Health and the Marine Management Organisation . Defra provides grant aid to the following flood and coastal erosion risk management operating authorities : Defra's overarching aim
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#1732771873126396-467: The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), to create the Department of Energy and Climate Change , then headed by Ed Miliband . Defra ministers are as follows, with cabinet members in bold: On 8 and 9 July 2024, the appointments of Daniel Zeichner as Minister of State and Emma Hardy MP and and Baroness Hayman of Ullock as Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
429-649: The Orwell immediately above the barrier site, it required an order to be issued under the Transport and Works Act 1992 . The Ipswich Barrier Order was issued by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in August 2012. The barrier consists of a rising sector gate, 66 feet (20 m) wide and 30 feet (9 m) high, located just to the west of the entrance to the wet dock. In November 2014,
462-578: The background of a 2001 advert for the AA motoring recovery service. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra ) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom . It is responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture , fisheries and rural communities in
495-407: The barrier site was 180 feet (55 m) wide, but in order to allow the construction of the barrier and the commissioning of the gate, a large cofferdam, 98 feet (30 m) square, extending 20.6 metres (68 ft) downwards into the chalk bed of the river, was formed against the east bank. This left a much narrower channel to allow the river flows to reach the estuary and boats to continue to access
528-469: The bridge and the approaches each side. During certain high winds conditions, rather than closing the bridge, the speed limit can be reduced from 60mph to 40mph. The Stour and Orwell Walk passes under the bridge. As of 2006 the bridge was used by 60,000 vehicles per day, about 83% of its capacity. In 2006 it was predicted that the bridge is expected to be running over capacity by 2015. By 2023, traffic levels had exceeded 67,500 vehicle per day. When
561-556: The bridge began in October 1979 and was completed 1 April 1982. It was opened on 17 December 1982 by David Howell, Baron Howell of Guildford , then the Secretary of State for Transport . Bridge bearing replacement works were carried out by Jackson Civil Engineering Ltd over the weekend of 11–14 February 2011, during a 52-hour closure of the north deck, carrying the eastbound A14. The new bridge bearings were designed and manufactured by
594-577: The bridge carries the A14 road (formerly the A45 ) over the River Orwell . The main span is 190 metres which, at the time of its construction, was the longest pre-stressed concrete span in use in the UK. The two spans adjacent to the main span are 106m, known as anchor spans. Most of the other spans are 59m. The total length is 1,287 metres from Wherstead to the site of the former Ipswich Airport . The width
627-418: The bridge is closed in both directions for more than a short period of time, normally as a safety precaution due to high winds, most of Ipswich's roads are brought to a near-standstill by diverted traffic. The bridge appears in the 1987 Cold War drama The Fourth Protocol , in which two RAF helicopters are shown flying under it, and at the end of the 2013 film The Numbers Station . The bridge appears in
660-421: The downstream flow of the river. The concrete structure was tied in to the eastern bank early in the project, but ties to the western bank had to wait until the gate had been commissioned. At that point, both the flow of the river and boats could pass through the new structure, and the side channel could be blocked off. The new barrier was officially opened in early February 2019 by Therese Coffey, Floods Minister at
693-601: The engineering company, Freyssinet Ltd. In February 2014, a meeting of various agencies was held to review diversions when it is necessary for the A14 and Orwell Bridge to be closed. A permanent reduced speed limit of 60 mph was introduced in November 2015 for safety reasons. Due to high side-winds, the bridge is often closed during storms. To reduce closure time and the pressure it imposes on local roads, in 2021 Highways England installed electronic variable speed limits on
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#1732771873126726-515: The entire United Kingdom. Concordats set out agreed frameworks for cooperation, between it and the Scottish Government , Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive , which have devolved responsibilities for these matters in their respective nations. Defra also leads for the United Kingdom on agricultural, fisheries and environmental matters in international negotiations on sustainable development and climate change, although
759-631: The entrance to Ipswich Docks . In order to reduce this risk, the Environment Agency implemented a programme of works expected to cost a total of £58 million to improve the flood defences on both banks of the tidal river and of the Port of Ipswich . The work included the construction of the Ipswich tidal barrier, and because the work affected the right of navigation on the New Cut, the section of
792-490: The final design winning the approval of the Royal Fine Art Commission . The Department for Transport funded the project and, partly because of the bridge, paid for radars and cameras to be installed at the port's Orwell Navigation Service to monitor the river and the bridge. Pilings were sunk 40 metres into the river bottom; Pigott Foundations of Ormskirk drilled 1142 piles; the main contractor of
825-532: The needs of the port of Ipswich . The location close to the southern edge of Ipswich was deemed convenient for the industrial areas of the West Bank Terminal and Ransomes Industrial Estate on the eastern end. The bridge was set at an angle to the river to get the best relationship to the surrounding terrain . The air draft of the central span was chosen to be as low as possible without adversely affecting port operations. Although some have said that
858-465: The resulting hump affects visibility and road safety , there have not been enough incidents causing injury for the Highways Agency to identify it for greater detailed investigation and possible amendments. The consulting engineers were Sir William Halcrow and Partners. Frederick Gibberd Partners worked on the project to ensure the bridge was as sympathetic as possible to its surroundings, with
891-567: The river above the barrier site. The sector gate was designed by the German firm IRS, and was manufactured in Holland by Hollandia. Once assembled, it was floated across the North Sea, and lifted into the concrete support structure by a 600 tonne crane. The position of the gate is moved by two hydraulic cylinders, and it can be positioned to prevent a tidal surge passing up stream, or to regulate
924-528: The sea: Redgate Hard is located here. This hard is probably post medieval. A whale was beached on Downham Reach around 1816. At this point the Stour flows into the Orwell by Shotley Point . The Orwell provides a popular venue for sailing . Interest originally centred on the hamlet of Pin Mill (featured in two children's novels by Arthur Ransome : We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea and Secret Water ), which
957-718: The substructure was Stevin Construction B.V., a Dutch company. The main span was constructed using a balanced cantilever technique, casting sections on alternating sides of the pier in a weekly cycle. Høsveis & Bofa of Hønefoss in Norway helped form the box girder (steelwork). The roller bearings were from Maurer AG of Germany. Mageba UK (Swiss) of Bicester supplied the bridge bearings and expansion joints . The pre-stressed concrete box girder sections had VSL tendons and GKN super-strand wire rope . The construction gantries were fabricated by Fairfield Mabey . It
990-629: Was announced, but initially without details of specific portfolios within Defra. The Permanent Secretary is Tamara Finkelstein , who replaced Clare Moriarty in 2019. Defra is responsible for British Government policy in the following areas Some policies apply to England alone due to devolution , while others are not devolved and therefore apply to the United Kingdom as a whole. The department's executive agencies are: The department's key delivery partners are: A full list of departmental delivery and public bodies may be found on
1023-457: Was filmed on the river. The naval shore establishment at HMS Ganges also featured in the film being used as a site for Chinese gun batteries. 51°58′N 1°18′E / 51.967°N 1.300°E / 51.967; 1.300 Orwell Bridge The Orwell Bridge is a concrete box girder bridge just south of Ipswich in Suffolk , England . Opened to road traffic in 1982,
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1056-518: Was merged with part of the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and with a small part of the Home Office . It was created after the perceived failure of MAFF to deal adequately with an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease . The department had about 9,000 core personnel, as of January 2008 . In October 2008, the climate team at Defra was merged with the energy team from
1089-466: Was part of the first section of the Ipswich Bypass; the contracts for the approach roads were given to Costain (£10.7m, eastern) and Cementation (£9.3m, western). For this section of the bypass, Robert McGregor & Sons , subcontracting to Cementation laid 6,900m of concrete in 48 days with a slipform paver; Costain laid 10,400m of concrete in 31 days with a concrete train. Construction of
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