Drivers face delays as roadworks schemes begin

Drivers are being warned of potential delays as major roadworks schemes get under way in Norfolk on Monday.

The A149 at Burnham Overy Staithe is expected to be closed for the next two weeks for resurfacing work, and Queens Road in Norwich will see a lane closed in both directions as access improvements are made to the city's bus station.

Phase two of the multimillion-pound project to upgrade Dereham Road in Norwich is also expected to begin.

Norfolk County Council said the schemes would benefit drivers and public transport users.

Many of the projects were funded by the Department for Transport after it awarded Transport for Norwich £32m through its Transforming Cities Fund.

Upgrades to Queens Road include creating a new short stretch of bus lane for vehicles turning left into the bus station.

The carriageway on both sides of the road is also being widened to allow the continuing flow of traffic.

Throughout the work, a short section of Chapelfield Road will be reduced to one lane on the approach to St Stephen's Roundabout.

Graham Plant, the council's cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: "On completion, general traffic flow and access for buses will be improved on the approach to the bus station entrance, contributing to reduced delays and more service reliability for passengers."

Bus company Konectbus, which manages Norwich bus station, said there would be "minimal disruption to services and passengers" while the work was carried out.

Preparatory work for a new £46m bypass around Long Stratton is also set to begin on Monday.

Church Lane, Edges Lane, Hall Lane, Parkers Lane will be closed at various points until the end of February.

Construction on the long-awaited bypass is set to begin in the spring.

Conservative county councillor for Long Stratton, Alison Thomas, said "hedgerows and scrub" would be cleared ahead of the bird nesting season.

"We wouldn't be allowed to clear the area once the nesting season had started, so it's important this work is done when we're not disturbing the birds," she said.

Formal planning permission for the bypass was granted in September following decades of campaigning by local residents.

"It's really heartening to see it coming to fruition," Ms Thomas added. "You never know, we might just be getting there."

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