Motorists in Lowestoft could face some all-too familiar disruption next month when the A12 bascule bridge is closed for a series of overnight works.Important maintenance work, including resurfacing and re-waterproofing the road surface, needs to be carried out on the bridge, meaning that it will be closed most nights for up to two months and traffic will be diverted out of the town centre.

Motorists in Lowestoft could face some all-too familiar disruption next month when the A12 bascule bridge is closed for a series of overnight works.

Important maintenance work, including resurfacing and re-waterproofing the road surface, needs to be carried out on the bridge, meaning that it will be closed most nights for up to two months and traffic will be diverted out of the town centre.

The work, which is due to start on Sunday May 2 and take place from 8pm to 6am Sundays to Thursdays for up to two months, will be carried out by the Highways Agency.

The deck of the bridge, which crosses Lake Lothing and links the north and south sides of Lowestoft, will be resurfaced and re-waterproofed and the gantries along the side of the road will be painted.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: “This is routine maintenance; it is not part of the major repairs which were carried out two years ago.

“It is being done in May because it needs to be done in good weather, which is why this is being done separately from the flood defence work carried out last autumn.

“We are fully aware of the importance of the bridge and closures will only take place overnight when traffic flows are lighter.”

During the work, northbound traffic will be diverted along the A1117 Bloodmoor Road and sent along the A146 Bridge Road to cross the Mutford Lock bridge in Oulton Broad on the A117, rejoining the A12 Yarmouth Road at the Tesco Roundabout. Southbound motorists will reverse that route.

Meanwhile, local drivers will be diverted north off the A12 London Road onto Pier Terrace, along to Horn Hill, Waveney Drive and Victoria Road, then along Bridge Road to cross the Mutford Lock bridge.

Motorists will then continue along Normanston Drive and St Peter's Street to join the A12 at the roundabout at the top of Katwijk Way. Drivers heading south will reverse that route.

Previous closures of the A12 bridge for overnight repairs have caused some problems for motorists as there have been occasions when the work has over-run, causing long queues of traffic into the morning rush hour.

In April last year, the Highways Agency issued a public apology to the people of Lowestoft after a �2.3m series of repairs which was due to last two months overran by almost a year.