Substantial benefits to dualling

A NEW report claims that only dualling the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft will bring substantial benefits to the economy.

The section of the trunk road north of Ipswich is the responsibility of Suffolk County Council, which has made it clear there are no plans to create any new stretches of dual carriageway.

Instead, a series of junction improvements and traffic calming measures are proposed for the road in the coming years.

This has angered business leaders in north Suffolk, and Waveney MP Bob Blizzard is among those calling for more substantial improvements – claiming it is holding back the economic recovery in the north of the county.

Their arguments have been backed up by a report, released by the Suffolk Development Agency (SDA). It commissioned a study into the economic benefits to north east Suffolk of investment in improving the road and rail links between Lowestoft and Ipswich.

ECOTEC Research and Consulting were appointed to undertake this work and have now submitted their final report to the SDA.

It contains two options for improving road links to north east Suffolk and both involve fully dualling the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft. Improvements to the rail links were also considered.

The main findings and conclusions arising from the study are:

n Improved journey times and reliability, with fewer accidents.

n Improvements in actual and perceived accessibility would bring substantial benefits to the economy of north east Suffolk, it predicts. Between 168 and 336 additional jobs could be created, adding between £6m and £12m to the local economy over the next 10 years.

Joan Girling, a member of Suffolk County Council's executive committee, said: "The executive committee looks forward to receiving the final report, considering its contents, and working with the SDA and other partners to consider whether an additional package of measures is justified to support economic development and regeneration in the Waveney area."