A140 Long Stratton bypass on target as weekend closures announced

The company behind the Long Stratton bypass say the scheme is progressing well, as weekend closures announced.

In April, a fresh milestone was reached in the construction of the long-awaited project.

A series of pre-cast concrete beams were moved into place to create a new road bridge in Hall Lane over the £46.9 million A140 project. The bridge deck will now be formed using reinforced concrete, before surfacing is laid to link the approaches on either side.

Stretching from a new roundabout at Church Lane to the north, the bypass will go east for approximately 2.4 miles, before rejoining the existing A140 near Oakside Farm.

Funding has come from both the Department for Transport (£26.2 million) and the Greater Norwich Growth Board (£14.5 million). The project is expected to be complete later this year.

Paul Brown, project director for Octavius Infrastructure, delivering the bypass on behalf on Norfolk County Council, said: “Works are currently progressing well in all areas of the scheme and we remain confident of delivering everything on schedule.

“A series of forthcoming overnight and full weekend closures will enable us to carry out essential works to tie-in the bypass carriageway to the existing A140.

“We appreciate these works will cause some inconvenience for a temporary period and thank the public for their understanding during this time. Working in this way will ensure that any excessive disruption during week day peak travel times is avoided.”

Norfolk County Council say an overnight and full weekend closure of the A140 Norwich Road will be required to the north of the town between St Michael’s Road and Brands Lane.

The A140 will be completely closed to traffic overnight at this location from 8pm on Thursday July 3 until 6am on Friday July 4 There will also be a full weekend closure from 8pm on Friday July 4 until 6am on Monday July 7. The official signed diversion route will be via Loddon and Bungay on the A47/A146/A143 and vice versa.

A second weekend closure at this location is currently planned from 8pm Friday July 25 to 6am Monday July 28. A further closure is planned for the first weekend of August to begin the southern tie in at the opposite end of the scheme, near Oakside Farm, with details to be announced.

South Norfolk Council leader Cllr Daniel Elmer said: “I’m delighted to see the Long Stratton Bypass progressing on schedule.

“This long-awaited project is a vital step forward for South Norfolk, and it’s fantastic to see our commitment to infrastructure and community wellbeing taking shape. The bypass will bring lasting benefits to residents and businesses alike, and I look forward to its successful completion later in the year.”