National Highways is inviting people that live, work and travel in and around the A14 Copdock Interchange in Suffolk to have their say on proposals to improve the busy junction.
It says it is developing “a continuous pipeline of improvement schemes to meet future demands the road network will face”, and working closely with the Department for Transport (DfT), a possible 32 proposed schemes have been identified for development as part of the Road Investment Strategy 3 pipeline up to 2030.
The A14 Junction 55 Copdock Interchange is one scheme being considered for improvement because it is a key strategic junction serving Ipswich via the A14, A12 and A1214. Situated only 14 miles west of the Port of Felixstowe, the junction regularly suffers from congestion and poor journey time reliability which has a significant impact on national and internationally based businesses.
“The A14 has national and international importance helping to connect the Port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands and beyond. The Port forms an essential component of the regional and national economy, handling up to 9,000 HGVs per day and moving 25,000 tonnes of goods per year,” explained James Goodman, National Highways Project Manager for A14 Junction 55 Copdock Interchange. “The consultation is intended for people who live, work and travel in and around the A14 Copdock Interchange to have their say on improvement proposals currently under consideration. There are important choices to be made and we are keen to get as many views as we can, so I encourage anyone who would like to find out more to check out the consultation materials online, attend one of our public information events and feedback on the options.”
National Highways says any potential scheme would look to improve journey times at the junction with increased reliability and facilitate the smooth flow of traffic, and it is asking for feedback on two options for the junction as a part of the public consultation:
Options include increasing the capacity of the existing junction to help accommodate the future demand. This will be done by widening the circulatory carriageway and the provision of free flow left turn lanes at three of the four entry arms, or decreasing the volume of traffic at existing junction by removing the A12 (South) to A14 (East) (and vice versa) movements onto separate link roads. The latter option will see a new free flow two-way grade-separated link road built.
Once the consultation closes, National Highways says it will undertake a programme of analysis and produce a consultation report. This report will summarise and consolidate the feedback received and will be made available to the public.
If approved for funding by the Department for Transport, a Preferred Route Announcement (PRA) will then present the best option to be taken forward to detailed design and planning approval.
(Picture – National Highways)
