Councillors vote to move ahead with Norwich Western Link despite rising costs
The cost of the scheme has ballooned to £274m
Norfolk County Councillors have agreed to move ahead with a plan for a new link road to the west of Norwich, despite the cost of the scheme ballooning to almost £274m.
It means the budget for the Norwich Western Link has now increased by £22.8m since last July, although the government has promised to cover the lion's share of the cost.
The government announced a major funding commitment towards the 3.9 mile route in October.
The Western Link would link the A47 with the NDR, in a move the County Council hopes will cut traffic and air pollution in Norwich.
However the scheme has faced opposition from environmentalists, who fear it would destroy valuable habitats.
Norwich City Council has also opposed the project.
Councillor Graham Plant, who is responsible for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure at Norfolk County Council, said:
“It’s crucial that we continue to invest in Norfolk’s transport infrastructure, to tackle existing traffic problems, support local businesses and enable our road networks to cope with planned housing and job growth."
“Now that we have secured a funding commitment of more than £200m from central government for the Norwich Western Link we can get this much-needed project moving forward again.
"We know a lot of people and businesses in Norfolk are being badly affected by traffic congestion to the west of Norwich every day, and planned growth will make these problems worse.
"Getting the Norwich Western Link built will tackle these issues and create lots of other benefits for people living and working in Norfolk.”
Final plans for the project will be considered earlier in the new year by the full council, ahead of a planning application being submitted.