David Beavan has his say on the Ipswich Northern Bypass

David Beavan, who sits as an independent at East Suffolk Council, has said that the traffic issues around Ipswich have been "caused by a lack of long-term vision" and that he would also consider a tunnel rather than a Northern Bypass.

The Northern Bypass has long been seen as a possible solution to solve traffic problems for Ipswich, Felixstowe and the wider region.

Mr Beavan said that he is 'very interested' in a tunnel as a solution to the Orwell Bridge traffic issues (Image: Newsquest)

Critics of the Northern Bypass however say that not only would the project cost billions of pounds, but would also require thousands of homes to be built around villages to the north of Ipswich.

Works to the Orwell Bridge over the summer reignited calls for the project, with Suffolk County Council voting in favour of a motion that says a Northern Bypass, or another solution, should be pursued.

One of those alternative solutions that has been suggested is a tunnel, connecting the A14 and the A12 underneath the River Orwell.

Independent candidate David Beavan announced his candidacy for Norfolk and Suffolk mayor last week (Image: David Beavan)

Mr Beavan announced his candidacy for the Norfolk and Suffolk Mayor last week.

He said that the tunnel option should be looked at but that in the short term, freight from the Port of Felixstowe needs to be taken off the roads.

Mr Beavan said: "Something urgently needs to be done about the traffic situation and we can't keep thinking about solutions for the next 20 years.

Traffic issues caused by work on the Orwell Bridge in the summer (Image: Lucy Taylor)

"I am very interested in looking a tunnel option as that would avoid concreting over more countryside but really the only answer is to get stuff like freight coming from Felixstowe on rail.

"Everyone agrees on the Ely/Haughley junction upgrades but there has been no funding, and that is a central theme of my campaign, the lack of investment in the East.

"To ease congestion we need to invest in the rail network for Felixstowe and around Ipswich and invest in public transport for the whole county."

What is the Northern Bypass and why is it so controversial?

Since the start of the year, calls for a relief road to the north of Ipswich or Northern Bypass intensified after weeks of traffic.

These calls only grew in the summer when National Highways announced weeks of closures to the Orwell Bridge, the only link between the A14 and A12 that doesn't flow through Ipswich.

Plans for the road were last seriously discussed in 2019 before being abandoned in February 2020 after losing political support.

Any road to the north of Ipswich would cause disruption to villages in the area who oppose the idea on environmental, traffic, health and concerns over property values.

Those in favour of the Northern Bypass argue that the road should have been built decades ago and is essential to keep jobs in Ipswich and the Port of Felixstowe.

So far, Tim Passmore the Conservative candidate, Caroline Topping the Green Party candidate, Carli Harper, the Labour Party candidate and Kevin Keeble of the Liberal Democrats have all had their say.