Businesses using the Orwell Bridge near Ipswich in Suffolk have said essential safety work on a bridge has caused “chaos”, and questioned why they need to be done during the tourist season.
Two expansion joints on the westbound carriageway are being replaced in a project that will take until August.
The BBC reports there was severe delays on the A14, A12 and roads around Ipswich due to one lane being closed on the bridge, which carries container traffic using the Port of Felixstowe.
Its report quotes Tim Wray, managing director of haulage firm Multi Modal Logistics and Vice Chair of the Road Haulage Association as saying: “It’s causing chaos for us. You’ve got 5,000 trucks a day coming out of the Port of Felixstowe, let alone all the industrial parks around the area. You have schedules to meet, the collection of containers at delivery points, and they’re just being left down to random intervals now.”
The reporters also spoke to a bookshop owner in Felixstowe, Helen Bott, who says trade is down two-thirds for her in the seaside resort, who “appreciated” the work needed to be done, but she questioned why National Highways had chosen the “very busy period for Felixstowe” when her shop usually saw a majority of its trade.
National Highways says working now was chosen as it is the best for the workers with good weather and more daylight hours.
(Picture – Highways News)
