The Beccles Southern Relief road has been officially opened by Vice Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Robert Rous.
The road links the A145 London Road to Ellough to the south east of the town, providing faster access to Beccles Business Park and the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone. Together with the B1127 Copland Way it will form a southern and eastern bypass of Beccles, helping create 3,100 more jobs in the area.
The road, built by Suffolk-based Jacksons Civil Engineering, will also lower the impact of HGVs in Beccles, providing them with an alternate route around the town.
As part of these works two new roundabouts have been constructed at each end of the road and a new shared space for pedestrians and cyclists has been installed on the northern side of the road. New bridleways have also been provided on the south side to connect with the well-used network of routes in the area and horse crossings have been provided at two points along the road. A modern sustainable drainage system has also been installed.
The project was part funded with £5m from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Local Growth Fund with the remainder coming from from Suffolk County Council.
Doug Field Chairman of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership said: “Building the relief road will be a significant boost to the local economy, speed up journeys and reduce traffic through Beccles. Improving road links and infrastructure in this area will also help draw in new businesses to Suffolk.”
Mary Evans, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs said: “The opening of this road is an incredibly important occasion not only for Beccles but for Suffolk. It underlines our commitment to investing in the county, bringing new development and jobs to the area. We and our partners have worked extremely hard to bring this road to Beccles and it will bring enormous economic and social benefits to the area for many years to come.”
Peter Aldous MP said: “It is fantastic that we are now able to open this vital relief road, to help relieve congestion of traffic in Beccles Town Centre and help promote economic growth in Waveney. This has been a long time coming and many people have been involved in progressing the need for this new road. I would like to thank all of them for helping make what once was a dream now a reality!”
Mark Bee, Leader of Waveney District Council and Suffolk County councillor for Beccles, said: “I have been involved in the campaign to deliver the Southern Relief Road for over 20 years and I am absolutely delighted that this vital stretch of road is now a reality. The flow of traffic through the town will be greatly improved and it will have a genuinely positive impact on local businesses and the wider community.”
Neil Robinson, Regional Director at Jacksons Civil Engineering said: “Beccles Southern Relief Road has been a pleasure to deliver on behalf of Suffolk County Council. As a result, of the site team’s hard work, this project will now benefit the local community and the wider travelling public.”
