Work has started on one of the largest schemes made possible from an extra £22m highway funding with dozens of roads across the county set to see improvements.
Norfolk received more than any other local authority in the East of England for maintenance and repairs to roads, bridges, pavements and cycle paths from the Department for Transport funding announced in May.
One of the first schemes to get underway is a £750,000 resurfacing on the main road through Poringland.
This will be followed by a range of improvements across the county, all of which are set for completion by the end of March 2021.
Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “I’m very pleased to see work now underway as communities across the county will benefit from the £22m funding that has made a range of schemes possible, including more than £880,000 repairs and improvements to a number of Fen roads that have been badly affected by recent hot summers.
“A strong Norfolk economy needs good infrastructure so the extra money for Norfolk means we can do more to maintain and improve our highway network to help support sustainable growth.”
The maintenance work will not only repair roads but help to prevent potholes opening-up.
Since the funding announcement, the county’s highways teams have been drawing up plans for schemes, including £1.2m for mechanical and electrical repairs to Great Yarmouth’s 90-year-old Haven Bridge, £320,000 for resurfacing the B1145 at Billingford, and £140,000 for resurfacing the A1122 in Downham Market.
The £22m funding award is in addition to Norfolk County Council’s existing highways capital maintenance budget of £38.6 million for the year 2020-2021.
ROADS SET TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS
• The funding includes £2.5m that has been earmarked for road resurfacing work on Norfolk’s major A roads including:
A140 Norwich - Boundary Road across A140 costing £163,284
A140 Norwich - Sweet Briar Road, Drayton Road to Hellesdon Hall Road £159,350
A140 Norwich - Ipswich Road junction Hall Lane £224,556
A1076 King’s Lynn A1076 northern entrance to QE2 £30,000
A1122 Downham Market - approach to Level crossing £140,000
A148 King’s Lynn - Blackfriars Road £53,200
A140 Horsford - A140 Dumbell Roundabout south of Broadland Northway £182,000
A140 Scole- A140 roundabout £172,873
A140 Dickleborough - A140 roundabout £74,249
A148 King’s Lynn - Lynn Road pedestrian crossing £72,000
A1066 Roydon - Stanley Road £143,000
A11 Cringleford - A11 junction, A47 roundabout £103,002
A1064 Acle - New Road (A47 to Old Road) £115,709
• A further £2.5m will go towards surfacing work on B roads including:
B1332 Poringland - through village £520,000
B1159 Stalham - Steeping stone lane £165,000
B1145 Billingford - The Street £320,000
B1112 Methwold - Stoke Road £170,000
B1113 Carleton Rode - The Turnpike £47,000
B1111 Garboldisham The Street £34,000
B1155 Stanhoe - Burnham Road £26,000
B1110 Wood Norton - junction C335 Stibbard Road £36,000
B1110 Wood Norton - junction C331 Fulmodestone / Hindolveston Road £36,000
B1110 Swanton Novers - junction C637 £36,000
• Some £3.5m will be spent on surfacing and improvements to the small C and unclassified (U) roads across the rural county.
• Fen roads that are set to see major repairs include:
King’s Lynn Saddlebow - Thiefgate Lane/Low Rd £253,000
Southery - Sedge Fen Road £178,000
Outwell - Mullicourt Road, A1122 to Angle Road £60,000
Outwell - Pincushion Road, A1122 to end £43,000
Upwell - Cock Fen Road, Flint House Road to end £65,000
Marshall St James - Black Drove £171,000
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen - Fen Rd £54,000
Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen - Mill Rd £57,000
• The funding also includes £2.2m towards bridges including £1.2m on mechanical and electrical repairs to the Haven Bridge in Great Yarmouth and £279,500 on the Wayford Bridge on the A149 in Smallburgh.
• A further £2.4m will be spent on machine patching, edge strengthening and haunching at sites across the county, with £1.2m earmarked for drainage work and £650,000 for surface dressing projects. There will be £750,00 spent on signs replacement, £350,000 on lining, and £350,000 on new cat’s eyes.
• Improvements to pavements and cycleways have been earmarked £1.5m with details on where this work will be yet to be revealed. Passenger transport has been allocated £180,000 from the funding.
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