Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has today given the go ahead for £300 million of funding for improvements on the A47, including the reconstruction of the Vauxhall roundabout and £10 million set aside for safety improvements on the Acle Straight. North Tuddenham to Easton and Blofield to North Burlingham will also be dualled - to the east and west of Norwich, creating 30 miles of continuous dual carriageway around the city.  In addition the A12 between Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft will be redesignated as the A47 to better reflect the route’s nature as a continuous corridor

 

Although the A47 is the major road linking Great Yarmouth to Leicester, it has suffered from underinvestment for many years, leading to big delays and congestion which has put a strain on local businesses and drivers alike. On top of that the Acle Straight section has been plagued by safety issues.

 

The Department for Transport estimates that the project will support over 50,000 jobs in the local economy over the next 15 years as the local area continues to grow.

 

George Osborne said: 

 

‘Our Long-Term Economic Plan means we are able to invest in Britain's infrastructure which is why today we can commit £300 million to upgrade the A47, which will drastically improve the roads network in this part of the country. Without the campaign of local MPs Chloe Smith, Brandon Lewis, Peter Aldous, Keith Simpson and the excellent Conservative candidate for North Norfolk, Ann Steward, this funding simply would not have happened. They all spoke to me when I came to see the problems on the A47 myself, just a couple of weeks ago. After years of neglect and underinvestment, a combination of Conservatives fixing the economy, and strong Conservatives voices in East Anglia means we are now turning things around with the jobs and opportunities that this will bring’.

 

Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, commented:- “Poor roads to Lowestoft and the Waveney area have been a major obstacle to attracting new business for far too long and thus I very much welcome this significant investment in the A47, which will make us more accessible to the rest of the country and which will help bring new jobs to the area, building on the great start which has been made by the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Enterprise Zone.

 

Extending the A47 to Lowestoft is very important as it puts the town properly on the national road network and it means that we’re in a much better position to obtain funding for the much needed new crossing of Lake Lothing. We now need to focus on providing the crossing as soon as possible and in the longer term getting the A47 dualled along its entire length from Lowestoft to Peterborough.”

 

Photo: George Osbourne and MP Chloe Smith listening to Peter’s position on the importance for A47 improvements.