Norfolk is set to benefit from £26.2 million in government funding to help construct the planned A140 Long Stratton Bypass, the Department for Transport has announced.
The scheme will see a new 2.5-mile road built to the east of Long Stratton, ensuring faster and smoother journeys while directly supporting plans for 1,800 new homes and the development of new employment land in the area. The bypass is designed to significantly ease congestion through the town, reducing noise and air pollution while providing better accessibility to the town centre for cyclists and pedestrians.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said: “This new scheme will provide a huge boost to Long Stratton and Norfolk by ensuring faster, smoother journeys, cutting congestion and noise pollution, and allowing the construction of 1,800 new homes in the area. This government is dedicated to levelling up across the country and we will continue to support regional economies by investing in vital local transport projects like this one.”
Cllr Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport and member of the Transport East partnership, said: “This is fantastic news and a most timely announcement from government, particularly in view of the COVID-19 recovery. The A140 through Long Stratton is a real pinch point that affects thousands of road users and the people who live and work in Long Stratton, on a daily basis.
“We want to deliver this vital scheme as soon as possible to cut congestion, help the local economy and vastly improve this major regionally important route linking Norwich and Ipswich. The bypass is set to create hundreds of new jobs and homes, open up improvements for cycling and walking, and solve traffic and transport issues local people have been facing for more than a generation.”
Currently, journeys in and out of Long Stratton are often very slow along the narrow route into the town centre. The new bypass, with speed limits of between 50 mph and 60 mph, will significantly reduce journey times. It will include 3 new roundabout junctions as well as a new footbridge to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross safely.
The full cost of the Long Stratton Bypass scheme will be £37.4 million, with Norfolk County Council securing £9.2 million on top of the government’s £26.2 million investment.
