MOTORISTS travelling along the A12 at Martlesham are bracing themselves for long tailbacks as work begins on a new park and ride scheme.Speed restrictions of 40 miles per hour are set to be imposed while major alterations are made to the roundabout at the junction of the A12 and A1214.

MOTORISTS travelling along the A12 at Martlesham are bracing themselves for long tailbacks as work begins on a new park and ride scheme.

Speed restrictions of 40 miles per hour are set to be imposed while major alterations are made to the roundabout at the junction of the A12 and A1214.

A slip road will be added to join the park and ride site, north west of the roundabout, and will see reduced speed limits imposed for around two months.

The £2.8million Suffolk County Council project, which met several objections before being passed, is set to be completed in October this year.

It will include 550 parking spaces and it hopes to attract 104,000 cars in its first year of operation.

Journey times into Ipswich town centre are expected to take about 20 minutes and buses will run every ten to 12 minutes.

The site has been carefully landscaped and the scheme has been designed to minimise the environmental impact.

Parking bays have been designed to fit around existing trees and reed beds will be planted to encourage wildlife.

Diggers moved in to begin work at the site this week and they are currently preparing the land for building work to begin.

Archaeologists are set to resume work on specially prepared plots early next week.

In April, the remnants of a Bronze Age settlement were discovered and it is hoped further excavations will uncover more treasures.