A14 business survey: continued delays and congestion “will impact on jobs and investment unless quickly and strategically addressed”
A14 business survey: continued delays and congestion “will impact on jobs and investment unless quickly and strategically addressed”
A new report from Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the crippling costs and other impacts to business owners, as well as residents, of the frequent and regular delays along the A14 in Suffolk. The research underpinning the report suggests that Suffolk’s economy could suffer through companies scaling back on their growth plans – unless the highway and how it is managed is made more resilient.
“Broken Down: the economic impact of the A14 in Suffolk” was compiled by Suffolk Chamber’s A14 Improvement Group and is based on research conducted throughout November 2024 comprising responses from a sample of over 350 local firms of all sizes and from across a broad range of market sectors.
The main findings are:
- 87% have been negatively impacted by A14 disruptions over the previous 12 months.
- 51% cited increased costs as a result of A14 disruption
- 49% reported negative impacts on client retention and customer satisfaction.
- 32% mentioned the impact on staff, including additional childcare costs and pressures on staff retention and recruitment
- 81% felt the Orwell Bridge was the area of most significant disruption, followed by knock-on delays (46%) and Copdock Interchange (39%)
- 81% are concerned about future capacity constraints on the Orwell Bridge and A14 corridor will impact their business
- Of this 81%: 85% feel that, if there are no significant improvements in the next decade, their investment plans in Suffolk will be either considerably or moderately impacted and 83% feel that their job numbers in Suffolk will be negatively impacted
Many of the companies that responded shared specific details of the impact of Orwell Bridge closures and other delays along the route had on their bottom line. These ranged from several hundred pounds per delay to one company that estimated its annual loss was over £80k!
John Dugmore, Suffolk Chamber’s chief executive, said: “Broken Down makes sobering reading. With no end in sight to the regular delays and closures across parts of this nationally vital road, many business owners and employers clearly feel abandoned by Government and National Highways. Some expressed outright hopelessness and the sense in which they were being expected to just put up with it by policymakers”.
Paul Simon, head of public affairs at Suffolk Chamber, added: “The aim of Broken Down is to re-concentrate the minds of key stakeholders to give priority to implementing short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions to these problems. We hope that it acts as a clear wake-up call to national and local policymakers to better understand the threat to Suffolk’s economy and work together without ruling out any solutions at this stage.”
The Broken Down report lists a number of actions that need to be taken to address the negative impacts on business activity and confidence:
Short-term (up to the Comprehensive Spending Review):
- Confirmed funding for upgrades to Ely and Haughley rail junctions to be announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review, as once completed, these projects will remove 98,000 lorry journeys per year from the local and regional roads system
- Research to be commissioned to more precisely quantify aggregate costs per hour of delays on A14 to Suffolk (and national) economy
- National Highways to invest in an automated messaging service to provide wider reach for accidents and closure alerts
- Ipswich Borough and Suffolk County Councils to extend the remit of the Ipswich Transport Taskforce to cover the A14 and other roads outside of the Borough boundaries to investigate possible diversion routes for smaller commercial vehicles
Medium-term (next 12 months):
- National Highways to start deploying its traffic officers to major A14 incidents in addition to Suffolk Police to improve implementation of diversions and traffic flow
- National Highways to bring forward investment plans for the Copdock Interchange into the RIS3 period (2025-2030)
Long-term (next 24 months):
- A Government Taskforce be established to investigate building additional capacity into the sub regional roads system in and out of Felixstowe as maintenance interventions to the Orwell Bridge increase as the structure nears the end of its expected lifespan
Suffolk Chamber has already received support from a number of the county’s MPs for its Broken Down research and report.
Jack Abbott, the MP for Ipswich, said: ““So many local residents and businesses are being impacted on a far too regular basis by disruption on the A14.
“This report shows the strength of feeling locally in black and white.
“I will continue to work with local residents, businesses and other local and national stakeholders to ensure that we can find a workable solution- nothing can be off the table. The cost of failing to act is far too high.”
James Cartlidge, MP for South Suffolk, said: “This report highlights the impact of disruption on the A14, predominately caused by problems on the Orwell Bridge. This is exactly why I held a multi-agency meeting at the beginning of November with local MPs and relevant stakeholders to discuss what could be done to reduce bridge closures and alleviate the subsequent impact on local businesses and road users. I’m glad that the Suffolk Chamber is focussed on road and junction improvements, and I look forward to working closely with them as it’s clearly an important issue for our local businesses.”
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, said: “The report exposes the critical impact that the disruptions cause businesses across our region. A growing Port of Felixstowe requires a healthy road network, and it is vital that local and national businesses, as well as our communities, can have confidence that the A14 and the Orwell Bridge will receive the investment it needs. The cost of inaction is simply too high for everyone in the region.”
Patrick Spencer, MP Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, said: “It was fantastic to meet with Suffolk Chamber again and to read through the findings from its report Broken Down – the economic impact of the A14 in Suffolk. I agree with the principle findings of the report, we need to think holistically about our transport infrastructure and collectively lobby to upgrade the links that are critical for the future economic health of Ipswich and wider Suffolk. I look forward to playing my part in in making the case for Suffolk as the economic engine driving Britain.”
Read the full report here