National Highways has begun substantive work on a scheme costing £37m to replace the concrete road surface of a stretch of the A14 in Suffolk.
Work began on Tuesday (18 April) on the westbound eastbound carriageway between Junction 47a (Haughley) and Junction 49 (Tothill) following the installation of a contraflow on the westbound carriageway overnight.
As a part of its £400m programme to revitalise concrete roads across the country, National Highways will completely remove the old concrete road surface and some of the foundations, before rebuilding the road with recycled material made from crushed concrete and a new asphalt surface
The project, which started in February, will also see replacement kerbs installed, safety barriers replaced, new road markings and new reflective road studs.
Simon Amor, National Highways' head of scheme delivery, said: ‘The A14 is a very popular route with motorists, helping to provide a transport corridor between the North, the Midlands, and East Anglia.
‘Upgrading this stretch will make it safer and smoother, ensuring it’s fit for the thousands of drivers who use it every day.’
Work on the eastbound carriageway will take approximately six months, after which the contraflow will be moved across to the other carriageway, with the scheme set to finish in summer 2024.
Concrete roads make up almost 400 miles (4%) of the strategic road network and are mostly found along the eastern side of the country. Around half of the old-style concrete roads in the region will either have repairs or be replaced, including stretches on the A11, A14, A12, A120 and M11.
