Major improvement plans take next step for two roads

Two major roads in Suffolk could be improved in the next five years after being included in a government funding plan, it has been announced.

The government has recommitted to its funding of a £63m scheme to upgrade the A12 between the A14, on the outskirts of Ipswich, and Woodbridge over the next five years.

Improvement plans for the A140 and A1120 junction at Earl Stonham will also be continued under the new Road Investment Strategy, but funding for this project has not yet been agreed.

Chris Chambers, who oversees transport strategy at Suffolk County Council, said the announcement had recognised the "strategic importance of our region's transport corridors".

The next phase of the government's roads strategy for England runs from April this year to March 2031.

The £63m project on the 6.8-mile (11km) stretch of the A12 could bring improvements between the Seven Hills and Woods Lane junctions.

A planning application was made in November and final proposals should be submitted later this year, the council said.

Improvement works at Earl Stonham have been listed as "recommended to continue", which means the government accepts works should go ahead during this period, subject to further cost assessments.

Suffolk County Council said the works would provide more space for vehicles to queue and avoid "vehicle conflicts" by simplifying the junction.

Proposals to improve the A11 Fiveways junction, near Mildenhall, and the Copdock interchange, where the A12 meets the A14 at Ipswich, will continue to be developed by the government and National Highways, but will not be completed in the next five years.

Chambers, a Conservative, said he was pleased both projects were "firmly on the agenda for the next investment period".

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