Royal ceremony for official Adur Ferry Bridge opening

Thursday, September 19, 2013

The ‘Grand Opening’ of the Adur Ferry Bridge in Shoreham-By-Sea is set for Wednesday 13 November.

HRH The Duke of Gloucester will come to the town to unveil the landmark bridge at an official ceremony.

Full details of the event will be announced by West Sussex County Council nearer the time.

County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Pieter Montyn, said: “We are delighted to announce to everyone the date of the official opening ceremony.To have the honour of welcoming the Duke to open such an iconic structure is fitting.Thousands of people will benefit from using the Adur Ferry Bridge each day and it will be an asset to the people of Shoreham-By-Sea for decades to come”.

The new swing bridge, which connects Shoreham-By-Sea to Shoreham Beach across the harbour, is for pedestrians, cyclists and mobility scooter users to use.

West Sussex County Council is still keen to open the bridge to the public beforehand. It has been prevented from doing this so far because the glass supplier, responsible for the glass in the bridge’s balustrade, ceased trading. The County Council has since changed supplier and the remaining work is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

The replacement bus service will continue as normal until the bridge opens. A film documenting the progress of the bridge has been released to mark the occasion. The video, produced by County Council contractor Osborne, outlines the background behind the new bridge’s development and details the challenges faced during the construction of the project.

Osborne’s Delivery Director, Derek Thornhill, said: “Osborne is proud to have played an integral part in the delivery of this magnificent bridge for the people of Shoreham. The unique position of balancing both marine and land based operations has been a challenge and with tidal surges of up to seven metres our dedicated staff have worked many early and late shifts to get the work done during the low tide periods. We look forward to the bridge becoming an everyday part of the community”.

To view the film visit Youtube and type Adur Ferry Bridge into the search bar. Alternatively visit Youtube here.

The Adur Ferry Bridge has been part-funded by cycling charity Sustrans through the Big Lottery Fund.

For more information visit the Sustrans website.