Works location from Monday January 24 to Friday January 28 2022 between 8pm and 6am.Works location from Monday January 24 to Friday January 28 2022 between 8pm and 6am.
Works location from Monday January 24 to Friday January 28 2022 between 8pm and 6am.

Diversions to be in place this month ahead of A47 dualling works near Peterborough

A series of diversions are to be put in place this month around Peterborough ahead of a new A47 dualling scheme.

Survey works for the new A47 Wansford to Sutton dualling scheme are set to begin at the end of January and will take place between January 24 and 28. Plans to upgrade the stretch to dual carriageway have been put forward to improve safety and ease congestion.

National Highways is improving the A47 in six places between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £450 million-plus investment, including the Cambridgeshire section between Wansford and Sutton.

National Highways has confirmed that they will be carrying out a number of surveys, as well as sampling and shallow digging works to better understand the conditions of the existing road and to inform the development of the scheme. The survey and digging work will see 17 holes drilled around the area with a total depth of 34 metres.

Work will be taking place between 8pm and 6am, subject to weather conditions.

Although most of the survey works will take place at various locations alongside the A47, there will be traffic lights on the A47 and the A1/A47 entry and exit slip road will be closed to maintain a safe environment for the workforce and road users.

The diversions that will be in place are:

A1 southbound exit slip full closure on Monday January 24

Traffic will be diverted off the A47 and onto the A1 southbound, exit at Stibbington and continue onto Church Lane, turn onto New Lane and merge onto the A1 to travel back northbound to the A47.

A1 southbound entry slip closure on Tuesday January 25

Traffic will be diverted off the A47 on to the A1 northbound and exit at Tinwell where they will travel back along the A1 southbound to rejoin the A47.

A1 northbound entry slip full closure on Wednesday January 26

Traffic will be diverted onto the A1 northbound and exit onto New Lane then travel on the Great North Road and merge onto the A1 to travel back southbound to the A47.

A1 northbound exit slip full closure on Thursday January 27

Traffic will be diverted off the A47 on to the A1 northbound and exit at Tinwell where they will travel back along the A1 southbound to rejoin the A47.

Chris Griffin, National Highways Programme Lead for the A47 schemes, said: “This stretch of road connects areas of growing economic activity around Peterborough, including linking the A47 to the A1. The current layout of the road can act as a bottleneck, resulting in congestion and slower journey times. Not only will these plans cut congestion, they will also make journeys quicker and safer for all road users.”

Jonathan Pitt, Galliford Try Guyhirn Project Manager, added: “While this work is not the start of construction, it is essential to help us understand the area and plan the new dual carriageway. Our plans for this important upgrade develop each day, and we look forward to starting work early next year.”

“The work will be done overnight between 8pm and 6am to minimise disruption, with fully signed diversion routes in place. There will be traffic lights at various locations on the A47 and the A1/A47 entry and exit slip roads.

“The Wansford dualling upgrade is one of six projects National Highways is doing to improve the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth. Two other sections of the 115-mile stretch of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth will be upgraded to dual carriageway, from Blofield to North Burlingham and from North Tuddenham to Easton, while the junction upgrade at Guyhirn is nearing completion and the Thickthorn junction with the A11 will also be upgraded.”

Work on the new dual carriageway is due to start in Spring 2023.

For more information about the A47 corridor improvement programme, visit: highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/east/a47-corridor-improvement-programme/.