A47 Corridor improvement programme

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85CF380
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by 85CF380 »

bart wrote: ........ For traffic travelling between Norwich/Yarmouth/Lynn and places north of Newark, there's a choice between the A17 and A47. Google maps suggests there's not much to choose between the two -- .......
According to Google maps Kings Lynn to Newark for A1 & the north via A17 is 66.4 miles & via A47 87.5 miles, that's nearly 30% further & according to google 14 minutes. I'd say the A17 is a significant saving & I don't know anyone who would contemplate doing Yorkshire to Norfolk via the A47 (until after K Lynn obviously).
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Berk wrote:20 looks grade-separated to me.
It's possible but the very short westbound offslip, tight weaving space to the next GSJ to the east, and the way the road markings seem to stop at the crossover points suggest to me that it's a hamburger. Though it's all rather academic...
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by sethmate »

[/quote]

According to Google maps Kings Lynn to Newark for A1 & the north via A17 is 66.4 miles & via A47 87.5 miles, that's nearly 30% further & according to google 14 minutes. I'd say the A17 is a significant saving & I don't know anyone who would contemplate doing Yorkshire to Norfolk via the A47 (until after K Lynn obviously).[/quote]

For all its problems we always travel a47-a17 then a1-b6275-a68-a69 between just south of Norwich and Hexham. Tried a47 all way to a1 once but not impressed, and also all the way down to a14 and a11 when they'd finished the Brandon dualling. Loads more miles but about the same journey time as a17.
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Derek
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Derek »

sethmate wrote: For all its problems we always travel a47-a17 then a1-b6275-a68-a69 between just south of Norwich and Hexham. Tried a47 all way to a1 once but not impressed, and also all the way down to a14 and a11 when they'd finished the Brandon dualling. Loads more miles but about the same journey time as a17.
Have to say I usually go A11 > A14 > A1 rather than the very much shorter A47 or A47/A17. A14 is much further but the A17 is just such a terrible road, prone to long tailbacks and slow crawls behind beet lorries through a deathly boring, bleak landscape that I just habitually avoid it. A47 is better but the A14 is usually a constant 70 more or less.

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Andy J
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Andy J »

Ah, that sigh of resignation every time I turn off the A1 at Newark (though I do usually stay on for an extra mile and get off at Coddington these days), compounded by the first slow moving train of vehicles I come across, hey ho. :cry:
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Norfolktolancashire
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Norfolktolancashire »

Derek wrote:
sethmate wrote: For all its problems we always travel a47-a17 then a1-b6275-a68-a69 between just south of Norwich and Hexham. Tried a47 all way to a1 once but not impressed, and also all the way down to a14 and a11 when they'd finished the Brandon dualling. Loads more miles but about the same journey time as a17.
Have to say I usually go A11 > A14 > A1 rather than the very much shorter A47 or A47/A17. A14 is much further but the A17 is just such a terrible road, prone to long tailbacks and slow crawls behind beet lorries through a deathly boring, bleak landscape that I just habitually avoid it. A47 is better but the A14 is usually a constant 70 more or less.

Derek
Twenty years ago I regularly used the M62/A1/A17 to and from Norfolk (see username for a clue!), however this year I used the M62/A1,A14,A11 and being all D2/3 found it lots quicker and not as taxing on the brain.
However this was on a clear run along the M62 and past Cambridge which is unusual.
The A11 through Norfolk is a massive improvement from years ago and will attract much of the cross country traffic going to Norwich and the Broads.

Returning to the thread, it would have been cheaper in the long run to create those freeflowing links to the Norwich bypass when it was first constructed, but we can say that with many road upgrades!

At least the A47 link to the new Norwich bypass is via a GSJ.
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ravenbluemoon
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by ravenbluemoon »

85CF380 wrote:
bart wrote: ........ For traffic travelling between Norwich/Yarmouth/Lynn and places north of Newark, there's a choice between the A17 and A47. Google maps suggests there's not much to choose between the two -- .......
According to Google maps Kings Lynn to Newark for A1 & the north via A17 is 66.4 miles & via A47 87.5 miles, that's nearly 30% further & according to google 14 minutes. I'd say the A17 is a significant saving & I don't know anyone who would contemplate doing Yorkshire to Norfolk via the A47 (until after K Lynn obviously).
As it stands, I much prefer to go via the longer A47 route if I'm doing Newark - KL. I can't stand the slow drag on the A17 behind trucks, tractors and Doris & co. At least the D2 sections on the 47 give a chance to make a bit more progress.
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Fenlander
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Fenlander »

ravenbluemoon wrote:As it stands, I much prefer to go via the longer A47 route if I'm doing Newark - KL. I can't stand the slow drag on the A17 behind trucks, tractors and Doris & co. At least the D2 sections on the 47 give a chance to make a bit more progress.
I've highlighted the key bit for me. A17 may be shorter and it is quicker given a clean run but unless you can really pick your travel time it is a frustrating drive. LCC recently offered a mile or so of S2+1 on the Long Sutton bypass by slightly widening the stretch, effectively a continuation of the very short stretch of D2 just before the roundabout, but local opinion was against it so they dropped it. There are plenty of places they could easily stick something in like this, entry and exit from the numerous roundabouts being obvious spots where the lighter & faster traffic could easily get past the slower & heavier.
An A17 flyover at the A16 roundabout would be a timesaver too, it gets very slow there at busy times but they've recently given planning for a new services in the obvious line for it.
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skiddaw05
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by skiddaw05 »

I've tried both and the A17 still wins it for me. Sure there is some decent dual carriageway on the A47 but the remaining single carriageway sections IME are more likely to snarl up completely, as I expect the A47 improvements are attracting more traffic from the A17 (as indicated by some of the posts on here).
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Statutory consultation dates for three of these schemes have been announced:

29 May - Wansford to Sutton
12 June - Thickthorn
10 September - Blofield to North Burlingham
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Berk
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Berk »

Jolly good news. Is that opening, or closing dates??
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Opening.
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

The Scheme Assessment Report for Wansford has been posted: http://assets.highways.gov.uk/roads/roa ... ersion.pdf

It has a few interesting bits and pieces, including a rejected option that grade separates the Nene Way roundabout:
A47 Wansford option 1A - Copy.PNG
The forecasting also shows that dualling alone, without the A1sb-A47eb freeflow left turn, achieves very little benefit (option 1B is in that configuration; the rest have the freeflow turn):
A47 Wanford journey times - Copy.PNG
Finally, the turning volumes:
A1 A47 - Copy.PNG
ais523
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by ais523 »

I was confused about the turning volume numbers for quite a while. AFAICT what they've done is to measure only half the GSJ between the A47 and A1; so right turns from the A47 westbound to A1 northbound look like straight-ons, whereas the opposite movement looks iike a left.
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Yes, they only looked at the eastern roundabout for the A1/A47 interchange.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

The Wansford and Thickthorn consultations were due to have opened, but have been delayed until later in the year.

The Blofield consultation is still scheduled for September. There seems to be a bit more clarity about junctions, with a roundabout (!) for option 4 (the preferred option), despite the presence of a bridge:

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... ctions.pdf

Earlier plans show a GSJ, apparently removed on cost grounds:

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... ctions.pdf
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

The statutory consultation on the Blofield to North Burlingham scheme opens on 10 September. It seems there will be a GSJ after all:
There are two proposed junctions. The junction at the western end includes a link road going over the new route to connect the existing A47 with the Yarmouth road via a bridge. The junction at the eastern end is a new grade separated junction in the form of an overbridge to provide a north south connection between South Walsham Road and Acle Road.
This sounds like these plans, which appeared to have been rejected: https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... ctions.pdf
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

The Blofield statutory consultation is now open. It looks good, with a compact GSJ at the eastern end and the mainline unbroken throughout.



https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... -statutor/
Last edited by jackal on Tue Sep 18, 2018 09:46, edited 1 time in total.
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Wansford to Sutton statutory consultation is now open. It's a lower quality scheme than Blofield with no new GSJs, though the freeflow left turn off the A1 has a huge radius.



https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... sultation/
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roadtester
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by roadtester »

jackal wrote: Tue Sep 18, 2018 09:44 Wansford to Sutton statutory consultation is now open. It's a lower quality scheme than Blofield with no new GSJs, though the freeflow left turn off the A1 has a huge radius.

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... sultation/
That seems pretty disappointing/pointless - and the 2037 date in the video seems to suggest it will take the best part of twenty years to deliver this modest upgrade.

I suppose one question is whether the new long A1-A47 slip is something that could be incorporated into an eventual more ambitious proper GSJing of the junction or whether it would it be lost.

The Blofield one looks much better, though.
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