A new underpass and junction improvements have been added to major plans to dual parts of the A47 following consultation feedback.
Highways England is improving the A47 in six places between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £300m project, including the section between North Tuddenham and Easton.
The preferred option for upgrading this stretch was announced in August 2017, and a statutory consultation was held earlier this year, attracting nearly 700 responses.
It found that almost three-quarters of people felt road improvements were needed on the A47, and that Highways England’s proposals would help reduce congestion and shorten journey times.
Following feedback from the consultation, Highways England has added an underpass 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 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.
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, we’ve taken into account feedback and refined our plans for this stretch of the A47.
"We’ve addressed the common themes and concerns raised, while ensuring that the project solves the traffic problem, improves journey times and improves safety."
The next stage of the plan is for Highways England to seek formal permission to build the road. If the application is approved, work is due to start in March 2023.
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