Motorists can expect delays when the Brielle Way at Blue Town is closed on Friday night for a new £3 million bridge to be slotted into place.

Giant steel spans have already been delivered. The first arrived on July 4 and was carefully manoeuvred through the Sheerness dock gates.

The beams will be installed between 8pm on Friday and 6am on Saturday.

A spokesman for Peel Ports said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

The 230-metre long bridge will link Sheerness Docks with the former steel mill at Wellmarsh as part of a £50 million investment by Peel Ports.

It will be 6.5-metre high and is being built by John Sisk.

Peel Ports had previously asked people to come up with names for the bridge.

A shortlist of three from more than 200 suggestions was announced today.

The three names are Wildfire Bridge, Samuel Pepys Bridge and Blue Town Bridge.
Wildfire is in memory of the Royal Navy’s landbased HMS Wildfire unit which was stationed on Sheppey during the Second World War. Seventeenth century diarist Samuel Pepys was a regular visitor to Sheerness Docks while it was being built.

Brian Spoor, new chairman of the Sheerness Town Team, said: “There have been many brilliant suggestions drawing on the history of the docks but my own suggestion would be a simple ‘Peel Ports Welcomes You To Sheerness.’

“It would be great to mark the gateway to the town with a simple statement like that.”

He added: “Whatever the name, I would like to congratulate Peel Ports for picking the town’s corporate colour blue for the bridge. It shows a close connection with the community.”

People can vote for their favourite name here.

Suggestions already mentioned:

Brielle Bridge, named after the Dutch town once twinned with Queenborough.

Captain Cutlass Crossing after the Sheppey Pirates.

Frank’s Freeway in memory of veteran Peel Ports’ worker Frank Attree.

Lapel Rise Memorial Bridge in recognition of old industries such as the steel mill, potteries and bottle works.

Montague Bridge after Montague Road which was part of now-demolished West Minster.

Nelson Crossing

Pepys Bridge after the diarist who spent time on Sheppey.

Rennie Bridge, after John Rennie, the architect who designed the dockyard.

Steel Blue Crossing

Swampy Bridge

Wellmarsh Bridge, the original name for the steel mill site.

West Minster Bridge

Wildfire Bridge after the minesweepers stationed at Queenborough.

Plus, Bridge of Sighs, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Bridget and Bridgey McBridgeface.