The CPRA has received some updated information from the Suffolk County Council regarding access to the A14 via the Creeting Road and further information on the new B1115 relief road.
A14 Access at Sheepcote Hall (off Creeting Road)
Councillor Ramsey passed on to [the County Council] a question which was
handed in to the recent Cedars Park Resident's Association meeting relating
to the access on to the A14 slip road near Sheepcote Hall.
In the Stowmarket Local Transport Action Plan the closure of this access was
identified as a long term objective. The rationale behind this was that with
the linking of the Tomo Industrial Estate to the A1120 via the Cedars Park
Distributor Road and the changes to the geometry of Creeting Road in the
vicinity of the Village Centre (and the associated reduction in lorry
traffic using the road) the opportunity presented itself to close the
access. As you know the arrangement here is an unusual configuration
involving two way traffic movements on the slip road.
Clearly, the closure could not take place until there was a suitable and
available alternative for traffic wishing to gain access to the A14,
especially from the Creeting St Mary direction. A solution to this was
identified. This was to construct a short link road from the Creeting Road
to the east of the A1120 to the "Tesco" roundabout on the Cedars Link Road.
However, this would involve the purchase of land not currently in the
ownership of the County Council and its construction would probably need to
be funded by the County Council. There are no proposals at present to
proceed with the closure of the access on to the A14.
B1115 Stowmarket Relief Road
Design of the B1115 Relief Road scheme is at an advanced stage. The
Compulsory Purchase and Side Roads Orders were confirmed by the Secretary of
State in July 2006 following the Public Inquiry held in January 2006.
Provisional Approval for the scheme has been granted by DfT, and it is now
necessary to move to the next stage of applying for Conditional Approval.
Application will be made to DfT in December 2006 for this. It is anticipated
that tenders for the construction of the Relief Road will be sought in Dec
06 / Jan 07, with a contract award and start of construction in June 2007.
It is anticipated that construction will take 2 years to complete with a
scheme opening in summer of 2009.
Simon Curl
Project Manager
Major Capital Projects
Environment & Transport
Suffolk County Council
