Improvement scheme on busy and vital roundabout gets underway

Fiveways Roundabout in Mildenhall. Picture: Gregg Brown

The changes to the A11 Fiveways roundabout at Mildenhall are aimed to improve traffic flow from the town and local villages from the A1101 and A1065.

Local traffic trying to use these roads faced delays due to the volume of traffic using the A11 between Norwich and the M11.

The scheme, which began on Monday, will help to ensure that the junction operates optimally for the tens of thousands of drivers that use the roundabout daily.

Highways England project manager Andy Dyer said: “The A11 is a vital route for East Anglia, linking Norfolk to Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, so we understand the need to make journeys as safe and smooth as possible.

“It’s not just drivers using our roads that we need to provide improvements for though, it’s also the communities living in and around them, and work like this will benefit residents of Mildenhall and the surrounding villages as well as users of the A11.”

The work is expected to be completed by late November and comes following months of planning and surveys, which allowed the duration of the scheme to be reduced from 11 weeks to eight.

The speed limit approaching the roundabout will be reduced to 50mph from the A11, the A1101, and the A1065, while the A11 southbound exit will have its speed limit reduced to 40mph for the first 600 metres of the dual carriageway.

Highways England said the new roundabout layout will improve safety, reduce congestion, and improve journey times, both for the 34,000 drivers who use the A11 daily and local traffic who need to use the roundabout.

Mary Evans, deputy leader of Suffolk County Council and cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Rural Affairs, said: “I am pleased to see that Highways England is moving forward with implementing the traffic light scheme at the Fiveways junction.

“This is a much-needed scheme to improve safety and congestion at this key location. Suffolk County Council is keen to see it implemented as soon as possible.”

During the works, there will be a number of various lane and road closures.

From the start of the works there will be some overnight lane closures approaching the roundabout.

From September 20 for around two weeks and a week at the end of October, the A11 northbound will be closed overnight from the A14 at Newmarket. The A11 southbound will be closed overnight at Thetford for around a week from October 22.

And on November 9 the Fiveways roundabout will be closed for one night.

Diversions will be in place during the closures.