Suffolk Chamber outlines priorities for improving resilience on the A14 and Orwell Bridge

“At this stage, we do not as yet know the full circumstances that led to the crash between the two lorries. But we do know that the full consequences were severe in terms of hours and hours of disruption, delays and additional costs to businesses. 

“Suffolk Chamber believes that we can only meaningfully minimise the impacts of such incidents through the whole of the Suffolk system campaigning together for a range of solutions, from the comparatively inexpensive and easy-to-implement to the more costly and longer-term

“That is why we continue to deploy lobbying capacity and effort, through the A14/Orwell bridge Group, in bringing all parties including MPs and council leaders together to achieve a clear programme of improvements based on the fact that our road and rail system in and out of the Port of Felixstowe is a key national economic gateway.”

“We certainly support and welcome Tim Passmore’s call for there to be a reduction in speed limits between junctions 51 (A14/A140 interchange) and 58 (A14/A12N interchange) to help modify and improve driver behaviours. We expect National Highways to treat this proposal with urgency.

“Furthermore, our Group is lobbying National Highways to start deploying their staff along the A14 to improve recovery times after accidents such as the one on Tuesday night and so minimise the business and community impacts of the resulting delays. We are also enhancing the statistical evidence available to Government to demonstrate the negative impacts on the national economy – and not just the local or regional ones - of closures of the Orwell Bridge and delays at other A14 pinch points 

In terms of major infrastructure upgrades, the Group is making the case for junction 55 (Copdock Interchange) to be prioritised as an urgent priority in the current Roads Investment Strategy period and is working up the details to identify other national and local solutions to increased road capacity in and around Ipswich, including early investigations into options for an Ipswich Northern Route.”