Plans improved for A47 dualling in Norfolk
Highways England says plans to dual part of the A47 have been further improved.
The new dual carriageway and junction improvements between North Tuddenham and Easton are among the latest designs to upgrade the A47.
Highways England is working on improving the A47 in six places between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £300 million-plus investment.
That includes the section of road between North Tuddenham and Easton.
It says the preferred option for upgrading that section of road was announced in August 2017, with a statutory consultation held earlier this year receiving nearly 700 responses.
It says the feedback found that almost three quarters of people felt that road improvements were needed on that stretgh, and that the proposals would help reduce congestion and shorten journey times.
The latest proposals include new routes for pedestrians and cyclists, plus changes to the road layout to reduce congestion.
Highways England programme lead for the A47, Chris Griffin, said: "This stretch of road connects areas of growing economic activity around Norwich. The current layout of the road can act as a bottleneck, resulting in congestion and slower journey times.
“Following on from our public statutory consultation in April 2020, we’ve taken into account feedback and refined our plans for this stretch of the A47, as it’s important that we get it right for road users and the affected communities.
"We’ve addressed the common themes and concerns raised, whilst ensuring that the project solves the traffic problem, improves journey times and improves safety.
“We have also carried out more ground investigations, surveys of walking and riding routes, and environmental and ecological surveys, while updating the traffic surveys and air quality monitoring.
"In addition, we are continuing to carry out ground water and water quality surveys."
What changes have been made to the plans?
The refined design sees a new underpass added for traffic and pedestrians at Mattishall Lane, replacing the Church Lane underpass and link road.
Changes to the Wood Lane southern junction into Dereham reuses more of the existing A47, while the new River Tud bridge has been altered based on feedback from the Environment Agency.
A walking and cycling link has been added from Honingham to St Andrew's Church via an A47 underpass, while the Norwich Road junction is moved east to reduce the impact on the church, while maintaining farm access.
The northern roundabout at the Norwich Road junction has been changed to link to Taverham Road and a new walking and cycling route will be created between Easton and Lower Easton, replacing the existing one which crosses the A47.
New embankments will reduce traffic noice, and an extra wetland drainage zone will provide a welcome boost for the environment by increasing biodiversity.
What happens next?
Highways England say the next stage of the A47 North Tuddenham to Easton upgrade is for formal approval and planning to be given, with permission due to be submitted to Planning Inspectors in early 2021.
If the application is approved, work on building the road is due to start in March 2023.