South-West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss has backed plans for the whole of the A47 to be dualled.
While the A47 is dualled around Swaffham it is single carriageway for most of its length between Dereham and King's Lynn. The single carriageway stretch at Necton is a notorious hotspot for accidents.
Ms Truss said: 'I have long called for full dualling of the A47 and have driven along the length of the route highlighting to the transport minister the need for investment in the road. Progress is being made with £300m already announced; great news for road users. However there are still too many stretches where single carriageway and safety issues are a prime concern; the stretch between Swaffham and Dereham is not identified in the current round of upgrades.
'Swaffham residents and business want a fully dualled road. We have fantastic shops, food producers, tourism attractions and industry who all rely on good road links.
'Investment in key infrastructure like the A47 will drive forward the local economy and be beneficial to the UK as a whole – business backing the Just Dual It campaign will accelerate the process.'
Businesses in the Swaffham area are also keen to see improvements made to the road.
Heather Nunn, secretary of Wayland Chamber of Commerce, said: 'A dual carriageway would ease entry to the A47, as well as reducing the overall time taken to get to business appointments.
'The cost benefits of having quicker journey times cannot be underestimated and a fully dualled A47 would see significant improvement for businesses; their employees, customers and suppliers. There are many local businesses who are in the tourist industry in our area and they will also benefit from better and quicker visitor access to their doors.'
Wayland Chamber member business Corporate Mailing Services client services manager Alex Gaumé added: 'We'd see an improvement in delivery times into us and, as a lot of what we do is time critical, this would be a significant benefit. It could also see a later daily collection time for post we send out, currently it's early afternoon due to our location.'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here