The opening of the first section of the long-awaited A11 bypass to traffic is less than three weeks away and is set to be delivered on time and on budget.

Geoff Chatfield, Highways Agency project manager, said one of the two carriageways was set to open to traffic for the first time on April 24, with vehicles flowing northbound in one lane towards Norwich and southbound in the other.

Both carriageways will be open by the end of September, Mr Chatfield said, bringing much needed relief for villagers in Elveden who have had to endure heavy traffic and bottlenecks on the A11 for decades.

The whole project is due to be completed by December 24 providing motorists with a widened 5.5 mile stretch of the A11 between Thetford and the Fiveways roundabout near Barton Mills, as well as the 3.6 mile bypass built around Elveden.

Mr Chatfield was speaking at the opening of part of the bypass to the public for the first time on Saturday when villagers were able to see the work that had been completed and participate in a 5km fun run and Easter bonnet parade along a section of the road from a starting point near the B1106.

He said: 'The job is going well. The good news is that the job is on programme, it is on budget and I think if you talk to anybody, a lot of the locals or anybody who uses the A11, this is seen as a good news job.'

He added there would also be benefits for motorists with reduced journey times and fewer accidents.

Once completed, traffic will no longer travel via the A11 Elveden crossroads traffic lights, but will instead use the bypass.

Mr Chatfield said some work still needed to be completed, including the central reservation along the bypass section, while a 35mm tarmac would be put down that would be able to cope with larger loads.

A temporary 40mph speed limit will be imposed on traffic using the newly-opened section from April 24 with the national speed limit coming into effect when the whole bypass opens in September.

Are you pleased the bypass is now finally coming to fruition? Email dominic.bareham2@archant.co.uk.

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