No decision on road plan 'until mayor elected'

There will be no solution to long-running traffic issues in Suffolk until an elected mayor is in place, a transport boss said.

The Orwell Bridge on the A14 south of Ipswich is currently operating with lane closures while £6m repair works are carried out.

There have been calls for a northern bypass around Ipswich for decades, but there has been a lack of funding commitment, coupled with local opposition in villages any road would go through.

Chris Chambers, cabinet member for transport at Conservative-run Suffolk County Council, said no decision was likely to be made until after the elections for a new mayor-led authority for Norfolk and Suffolk in May 2026.

"We're not going to build a northern bypass in a year. It will be the mayor that will deliver a northern bypass," said Chambers.

The new post would be created as part of the government's devolution plans which would replace the two-tier county and district council set-up with unitary councils in Norfolk and Suffolk, with a directly elected mayor overseeing both counties.

It comes as rush-hour drivers have faced long delays as lanes on the two-lane dual carriageway are closed on the bridge, resulting in slow journeys.

The eastbound carriageway was closed on Monday, 23 June, which was followed by a westbound lane on Saturday.

• As it happened: Live updates on the Orwell Bridge, Thursday, 26 June

While the lanes were shut, traffic was limited to the usual 60mph on the eastbound side, but cut to 40mph for those travelling west while the contraflow system was in place.

Work to replace 37-year-old joints on the bridge was expected to be completed by late August.

Motorists, including container trucks for the Port of Felixstowe, have been advised to "allow extra time" for their journeys.

On the northern bypass, Chambers said: "Six years ago [in 2019] we commissioned a strategic outline business case.

"The only way you can access the funding is to put forward a housing growth plan.

"Our business plan six years ago was that [that] required building 15,000 homes, in and above the targets they have to build homes at the moment to access that funding."

He added: "The prime minister was only in Suffolk a few weeks ago green lighting Sizewell C.

"It was a shame while he was here he didn't agree to funding for the major road network that will actually increase capacity on the key road for Sizewell C."

Jack Abbot, Labour MP for Ipswich, believed a northern bypass would solve "long-term issues", because improving the railway to increase its capacity to take more container freight for Felixstowe would not solve the road traffic issue.

"Things like Ely/Haughley [rail junctions] are a really important project for the region and the Port of Felixstowe, [but] this isn't a solution... he [Chris Chambers] mentioned it would take 100,000 HGVs off the road a year.

"We have up to 20,000 a day crossing the Orwell Bridge.

"The northern bypass isn't just about traffic congestion in and around Ipswich, there's the long-term future of Felixstowe port at risk.

"We have thousands of jobs on the line in our local economy, millions if not billions of investment in our local economy... we have to look at the bigger picture not just for Ipswich and Felixstowe, but for our county as a whole."

A Department for Transport spokesperson, said: "We are committed to supporting reliable, safe transport links in Suffolk and beyond, and are investing £24bn over the next four years to maintain and improve roads across the country.

"While works to improve safety on the Orwell Bridge have increased congestion, some closures remain necessary to protect road users and maintain vital routes."

Plans for a river crossing over Ipswich's waterfront and wet dock just south of the town centre were abandoned by the Conservative county council in 2018 as costs rose and extra funds were needed, despite the Conservative central government committing £77m.

That route was meant to provide another cross-town option for traffic, easing pressure on the A14.

At the time, council leader Matthew Hicks said they had "exhausted all [further] funding opportunities including the Department for Transport, HM Treasury, local businesses and other stakeholders".

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.