Repair work costing £1.5million is to be carried out on a bridge on the A14 in Stowmarket.

Ipswich Star: Essential bridge maintenance work, worth £1.5 million, will take place on the A14 at Hill House in Stowmarket. Photo: Highways England.Essential bridge maintenance work, worth £1.5 million, will take place on the A14 at Hill House in Stowmarket. Photo: Highways England. (Image: Archant)

A 24-hour speed limit of 40mph will be in place in both directions in the area of the work at Hill House.

The work, which starts on March 8 and is expected to finish in the summer, will take place overnight from 8pm and 5am. A lane will be closed in both directions during these hours. There will be no lane closures during the day.

But repair work will be carried out during the day over two weekends: April 2/3 and May 7/8, when a lane closure will also be in place.

There will also be occasional overnight closures to install crossovers. Drivers will be diverted off the A14 at junction 49, to the A1308 Tot Hill, Bury Road, Gipping Way, Needham Road (through Stowmarket) and the A1120 back to junction 50.

Karl Brooks, project manager at Highways England, said: “Expansion joints help to protect the structure of the bridge by allowing small movements as traffic passes over it, and also allowing the bridge to expand and contract with seasonal variations in temperature.

“They are designed to last around 30 years or so, and the joints on this bridge have reached the end of their service life and need replacing.

“We will be carrying out this major bridge repair work overnight when it’s generally less busy – minimising disruption to drivers. This work is necessary as the bridge joints need replacing.

“During the day, all the traffic management will be removed and drivers can use both lanes in each direction.

“Throughout the scheme, there will be a speed limit in place, which will be enforced. This is because during the day the exposed bridge joints will be covered with steel plates and the lower speed limit is necessary for driver’s safety and to prevent them from dislodging.”

The area of 40mph will measure just over one mile, Highways England said.

The work is dependent on suitable weather conditions and dates may be subject to change.