From the initial junction review three junctions have been identified for further analysis:
- Thornham Magna Junction
- A1120 Earl Stonham Junction
- A140/B1078 Junction
The A140 has been identified as a route of strategic importance for Suffolk County Council providing links to urban centres in East Anglia, however, the road has significant pinch points and some road safety issues that require development, these pinch points have a greater impact on congestion in to the future transport model years therefore it is expected congestion will be significantly worse along the A140 and intervention is needed now.
With these challenges in mind, Suffolk County Council are developing these options with aspirations of assisted funding from the Department of Transport. If successful we will want to progress with the most popular schemes based upon engagement from local residents, businesses and key stakeholders. Each section has a specific set of options considered along with active travel and bypassing options.
We are seeking your views on the findings identified in this project to this point, we would also welcome additional input from your local knowledge.
Key concerns that have been identified are:
- Road safety concerns
- Congestion and poor journey reliability
- Poor provisions and infrastructure for active travel
- Poor infrastructure for public transport
- Severance between the East and West sides of the A140
- Lower air quality in the built up areas due to junction congestion
Thornham Magna Junction
There are some road safety concerns with this junction and the adjacent property due to the nature of the junction and speeds they meet at.
A1120 Earl Stonham Junction
Due to the nature of this junctions location there are limited options for redesign without incurring unobtainable levels of funding. There are concerns around pedestrian and cyclist safety within the area due to the lack of sufficient foot and cycle paths. From the study traffic congestion has been identified as a challenge, with queuing identified to reach over 100m at peak pm times.
A140/B1078 Junction
The current carriageways are split with two different grades, combining both the north and south direction would require significant groundworks and likely further development to ensure the design complies with safety regulations.
Next Steps
Once we have completed our engagement we will review the results to understand which series of options best suits the needs of future growth, the local population and the available budget. This is then likely to progress to a series of design levels including detailed design where it will then be formally consulted on before any construction is started.
Please note although we have published the set dates for the questionnaire, if you wanted to submit a later submission we will attempt to incorporate it to the engagement process.
