The £21m Postwick Hub outside Norwich may have to be redesigned already

The Postwick Hub just before opening following the extensive roadworks. Picture by Mike Page (Image: Mike Page)

Council bosses are having to rethink a section of the Postwick Hub because of rush hour tailbacks which have been building up at a roundabout at the junction.

Norfolk County Council is considering installing a new segregated left turn lane because of the problems with traffic coming from the Great Yarmouth direction and heading into Thorpe St Andrew.

The council said peak hour hold-ups cause tailbacks across the old bridge, through the traffic lights to the Oaks Lane roundabout and towards the slip road off the A47.

Temporary traffic lights are to be trialled on that roundabout to allow traffic crossing the old bridge (from the south side to the north side) to go through the roundabout without having to give way.

Work while it was in progress at the new Postwick hub. PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY

That will simulate the effect of a segregated left hand lane and allow County Hall officers to study any knock-on effects such a lane would have at the next Meridian Way/Old Chapel Way roundabout.

If the trial, which will be conducted for two mornings over the next two weeks, prevents tailbacks, then a left hand lane would be constructed within the next few weeks.

John Birchall, spokesman for Norfolk County Council, insisted the work was not a sign that the design of the junction was flawed and was a 'tweak'.

He said: 'Traffic modelling is done to national standards, but when you have real human beings using a road system you will find there are things you didn't think would happen or people find other ways to use roads that you didn't expect.'

•The sentence beginning 'If the trial...' has been altered since original publication to say a left hand lane would be constructed within the next few weeks. It originally stated the lane could be constructed in the next two weeks.