A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft to get £64m upgrade
Funding has been confirmed for major improvements to one of East Anglia's busiest roads
The A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft is set to get a series of upgrades, after the government stepped up with £54m worth of funding.
It will go towards the £64m price tag for the improvement scheme, with the remaining £10m coming from local developers.
Key roundabouts from the A14 at Seven Hills, east of Ipswich, north to the A1152 at Woods Lane will be upgraded.
Elsewhere, a new dual carriageway section will replace the existing single carriageway bottleneck at Seckford Hall between the B1438 and B1079.
Councillor Richard Smith, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said:
“Suffolk County Council has fought long and hard for this scheme, so I am pleased that the government has announced its commitment to fund most of the cost of the project."
"These improvements will future-proof the A12 and deliver major benefits to local communities and to people travelling around Suffolk, the road being a link between our two largest towns, Ipswich and Lowestoft.
“Also, it is a critical bottleneck in accessing the East Suffolk coast, which is the location of several Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, including Sizewell C."
Andrew Summers, Chief Executive of Transport East, said:
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to provide funding for the A12 improvements, which was long agreed by the Transport East partnership as a regional priority.
"Following continuous advice and advocacy to government on the region’s major road priorities, we’re delighted to see this scheme come to fruition."
“The improvements will provide a more reliable journey for people and goods along one of the region’s most important roads, boosting business and improving access to the planned Sizewell C development."