East of England roadworks update: Mon 12 January to Sun 18 January 2009
During winter months, drivers are advised to carry a severe weather kit in their cars. A severe weather kit should include the following items – an ice scraper and de-icer, a torch, warm clothes and a blanket, a pair of boots, a first-aid kit, battery jump leads, a spade if it’s likely to snow, food and drink.
NEW WORK:
A14 BRAMFORD ROAD BRIDGE, IPSWICH: Major maintenance
A major maintenance scheme to replace the bridge joints and repair the supporting walls of the A14 Bramford Road Bridge between A14 Junction 53 and Junction 54 near Ipswich began on Monday 5 January 2009.
The work is taking place overnight from 8pm to 6am Mondays to Fridays. During the overnight work throughout the week, lanes will be closed on the westbound and eastbound carriageways.
One lane in each direction will also be closed from 6pm on Saturday 10 January to 6am on Monday 12 January.
Works will continue between Saturday 6pm and Monday 6am for six further weekends. During this weekend work a contraflow will be set up on the eastbound carriageway. The A14 Sproughton Interchange (Junction 54) westbound on-slip will be closed during the contraflow operation and traffic will be diverted via the Copdock Interchange (Junction 55). Moderate to severe delays are expected under the contraflow during Sunday daytime working.
A 50mph speed limit with average speed checks will be in place at all times in both directions around the A14 Sproughton junction until work is complete.
The works are expected to be completed in March 2009, weather permitting.
A14 STREET LIGHTING AND MAINTENANCE
Maintenance of street lighting at the A14, J54 Sproughton Interchange near Ipswich will take place overnight between 8pm and 5am on Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 January. The westbound entry and exit slip roads will be closed overnight on Monday 12 January. The eastbound entry and exit slip roads will be closed overnight on Tuesday 13 January. All traffic will be directed along clearly signed, short diversion routes.
Street lighting maintenance will be carried out overnight at the A14 J53 Whitehouse (Asda) interchange near Ipswich on Wednesday 14 January from 8pm until 5am on Thursday 15 January. The westbound entry and exit slip roads will be closed, and traffic will be directed along clearly signed, short diversion routes.
Street lighting maintenance will also be carried out overnight at the A14 Bucklesham Junction between J58-59 near Trimley St Martin in Suffolk. The eastbound entry and exit slip road will be closed overnight between 8pm and 5am on Thursday 15 January. Traffic will be directed along clearly signed, short diversion routes.
A12 CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING: Dedham Road to Stratford Road
The A12 carriageway between Dedham Road and Stratford Road between Ipswich and Colchester will be resurfaced and have white lines and road studs replaced. The work will be carried out overnight between 9pm and 6am for three nights from Wednesday 14 January. No work or traffic management will be in place on the A12 carriageway itself during peak hours. All laybys on the southbound carriageway will be closed 24 hours a day during the works.
Overnight, the A12 carriageway will be fully closed from the B1029 southbound, and the entry slip road will also be closed. A12 traffic travelling southbound will be diverted via B1029 Dedham Road, Upper Street, Lower Street, Gunhill and Ipswich Road, back to the A12.
ONGOING WORK:
M1 REPAIR WORK TO BRIDGE OVER RIVER OUZEL TRIBUTARY
Waterproofing and concrete repairs are being carried out to the M1 bridge over the River Ouzel tributary at Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire. A variable contraflow system providing three lanes in both directions will be in place from Saturday 22 November until Sunday 25 January. A mandatory speed restriction of 50mph will be in place on both carriageways during the entire programme of works.
M1 – BRIDGE SAFETY SCHEME, BEDFORDSHIRE
A £2.6m scheme to replace concrete bridge parapets and improve safety of bridges at four locations over the M1 in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire is expected to be complete by end of January 2009.
At times during the course of the works there will be lane closures overnight on the M1 beneath each bridge on both the northbound and southbound carriageways in order to safeguard roadworkers and the road user.
The scheme will improve the Broughton/Salford Road bridge in Bedfordshire, the Flore to Brockhall Road bridge, Watling Street to Brockhall Road bridge and the Brockhall private access bridge, all in Northamptonshire. While the work is taking place there will be a lane closures on the Broughton/Salford Road bridge controlled by temporary traffic lights and a 40mph speed restriction.
The Watling Street to Brockhall Road Bridge has now been reopened although the Flore to Brockhall Road bridge remains closed for the duration of the works, and a clearly signed diversion route is still in place. The private bridge still remains temporarily closed.
The work will take place 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the bridges themselves. On the M1, lane closures will be in place on Monday to Thursday between 11pm and 5am, on Fridays between 11pm and 6am, on Saturdays between 10pm and 8am and on Sundays from midnight to 5am.
A5 – IMPROVEMENTS TO A5 IN DUNSTABLE, BEDFORDSHIRE
A package of improvements to provide increased traffic capacity at the junction of the A5 London Road and Beech Road in Dunstable, Bedfordshire started in September and will continue until March 2009.
The £1m scheme at The Gateway is being funded by ICP Commercial Ltd as part of its development opposite Beech Road. The work is taking place at the junction with the A5 to improve the existing layout.
Improvements to the junction include carriageway widening, the reconstruction of footways and the re-alignment of a bus stop layby. The traffic signals at the Beech Road junction and the streetlights will be replaced and the existing pedestrian crossing will be relocated to the new traffic signals at the junction.
The work will take place between 7.30am and 5.30pm on weekdays, on Saturday mornings and some work may also be carried out in the evenings. No work will take place in the carriageway during peak hours.
There will be a temporary 30mph speed limit in place with a vehicle width restriction of 3 metres from 160 metres northwest to 120 metres southeast of the Beech Road junction (approximately a quarter of a mile). The work will also involve some lane closures at night with temporary traffic signals and the temporary closure of the bus stop layby.
A12 MAJOR MAINTENANCE SCHEME AT KELVEDON
A £6.74 million major maintenance scheme to refurbish a stretch of the A12 at Kelvedon in Essex began on Thursday, 27 November.
The carriageway between Rivenhall End and Highfields Overbridge on the Kelvedon Bypass will be strengthened and surfaced with noise reducing asphalt which will provide a smoother, safer and quieter road surface. Safety will be improved with the construction of nearside and offside hardstrips, replacement and upgrade of street lighting, and major drainage improvements. Carriageways signs and road markings will also be upgraded. Facilities for non-motorised road users will be improved, and the new footway and footway / cycleway will be protected by safety barrier.
The work will take place 24 hours a day and is expected to be completed in Spring 2009. Lane closures will be in place overnight and a 50mph speed limit will be in force 24 hours a day for the duration of the works. During the works there will be slip road closures at J23 A12/B1024 Kelvedon (south) Interchange with clearly signed diversions as follows:
* when the southbound entry slip road is closed, traffic will be diverted via the B1024, A12 northbound, J25 A12/A120 Marks Tey Interchange, and A12 southbound;
* when the northbound exit slip road is closed, traffic will be diverted via A12 northbound, J25 A12/A120 Marks Tey Interchange, A12 southbound, J24 A12/B1024 Kelvedon (north) Interchange, and B1024.
Advance notice of these slip road closures will be provided.
A47 HONINGHAM JUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS (NORWICH)
Work to improve Honingham Junction started in September. A new roundabout has been constructed at the junction with Mattishall Road and street lighting installed. The A47 will remain open during the work and Mattishall Road is now open. Final works are ongoing with a temporary 40mph speed limit in place in parts on the A47.
A47 – WISBECH TO GUYHIRN (CAMBRIDGESHIRE)
Work to strengthen the embankment and improve drainage on the A47 westbound between Nettlebank and the Guyhirn roundabout (A47/A141) will continue until January 2009. There will be no impact on traffic during daytime hours as work will be carried out on private land beside the carriageway. There will be night-time working, from 8pm to 6am for 14 nights, during which temporary traffic signals will be used and a 40mph speed limit will be in force.
A47 SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS TO BRIDGES AT KINGS LYNN
Work on a £2m package of safety improvements to bridges on the A47 at Kings Lynn began on will continue until February 2009.
Works will take place on Harbour Junction Bridge, the River Nar Bridge and River Great Ouse Bridge. Safety improvements will include resurfacing and waterproofing, a new combined kerb drainage system, and subsurface drainage and bridge joint replacement. The existing bridge parapet and adjoining safety barrier will also be replaced on Harbour Junction Bridge, with concrete repairs to the structure’s piers and abutments.
One lane will be closed to traffic in each direction, 24 hours a day, and a 50mph speed limit will be in place throughout the works, for the safety of roadworkers. The work will continue overnight at times, with occasional convoy working and a 10mph speed limit in force. During overnight works, the Hardwick Flyover will be closed to traffic going west. Traffic will be diverted onto Hardwick Roundabout and back onto the A47. The A47 main carriageway beneath Saddlebow Interchange will be closed, with traffic diverted up the off-slip onto Saddlebow Interchange and then back down onto the A47. This will occur on both the westbound and eastbound carriageways.
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