A47 Corridor improvement programme

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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

Wansford to Sutton was accepted for examination today.

Website: https://infrastructure.planninginspecto ... n=overview
Plan: https://infrastructure.planninginspecto ... 0Plans.pdf

Previously the existing roundabouts at each end of the scheme were to be retained. It seems they have now removed the roundabout at Nene Way and put one at Sutton Heath Road instead, which I can see is a little better for access to Ufford and Barnack. While it's disappointing that they went for a new roundabout rather than a GSJ it's certainly good to have this road dualled.

For comparison, design from statutory consultation: https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... 20Plan.pdf
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by ABB125 »

No passive provision for grade separation - as far as I can tell, there's nothing of interest here that a slightly wider roundabout would disturb. Though having said that, a standard two bridge roundabout would probably be overkill here - a diamond junction would probably suffice, which should be fairly easy to build without disrupting the road.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by ravenbluemoon »

The Wansford - Sutton plans certainly aren't any worse than what's already there. The freeflow from A1 southbound to A47 eastbound pleases me, as the current slips still seem to end up with queues at most times of the day. The new at grade roundabout will be no worse than the current one, it isn't that busy currently unless plans are afoot for a load of housing/tin shed warehouses.

I do wonder why this hasn't been dualled earlier. Always seems strange that the Peterborough DC runs out of steam so close to the A1.
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

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"'Not fit for purpose' - fresh campaign to get A47 fully dualled"

NCC are less than impressed with progress so far, and want to get some dualling in the government's forthcoming spending review.

"the three priorities of the A47 Alliance, of which the county council is a member, includes the dualling of the Acle Straight, dualling Tilney to East Winch and Wisbech to Peterborough"

Acle Straight and Wisbech to Peterborough are well known from earlier campaigns. Tilney to East Winch would presumably be two sections - Tilney to King's Lynn, which is a silly little bottleneck, and King's Lynn to East Winch, ending on an S2 section rather than filling a gap.

Acle Straight probably has the best chance, though there's a strong case for Tilney to King's Lynn.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/traffic/fr ... 47-8297040
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by doebag »

Tilney to KL is similar to Sutton to Wansford, fairly modern DC new build ending short of a main interchange for no apparent reason.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by skiddaw05 »

Acle Straight would get my vote, not only is it an S2 but it's a horrible one as well, it's a narrow carriageway with kerbs and narrow verges alongside large drainage ditches on both sides. And even though Great Yarmouth is a tip it's still a very significant coastal resort and as the main gateway to the town it's an embarrassment

There, got that off my chest
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owen b
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by owen b »

Acle straight is in a national park, which surely makes it significantly trickier to get a road improvement.
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jackal
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

doebag wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 16:50 Tilney to KL is similar to Sutton to Wansford, fairly modern DC new build ending short of a main interchange for no apparent reason.
Further afield it reminds me of A303 Sparkford to Ilchester, which is at last being fixed.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by skiddaw05 »

owen b wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 19:49 Acle straight is in a national park, which surely makes it significantly trickier to get a road improvement.
Yes that's one of the reasons it's not been done already. I believe there is currently a five year study into the habitat of a rare snail which is found in the roadside ditches
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by doebag »

Guyhirn update. Nearly finished. Tarmac complete, some painting done, signage and similar still to do, but possibly finished by end of the month.
Interestingly, the approach to the roundabout over the bridge is marked left lane-turn left, right lane turn left and straight on [A141] We'll see how many years it takes for people to get used to that, the similar arrangement approaching Pullover roundabout at Kings Lynn on the A47 still gets people upset sometimes.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

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doebag wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 17:23 Guyhirn update. Nearly finished. Tarmac complete, some painting done, signage and similar still to do, but possibly finished by end of the month.
Interestingly, the approach to the roundabout over the bridge is marked left lane-turn left, right lane turn left and straight on [A141] We'll see how many years it takes for people to get used to that, the similar arrangement approaching Pullover roundabout at Kings Lynn on the A47 still gets people upset sometimes.
Well yes, the A141 is hardly straight on from the eastbound A47 unless there's been some serious skewing round of the approaches
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by Chris5156 »

skiddaw05 wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 18:37
doebag wrote: Wed Mar 23, 2022 17:23 Guyhirn update. Nearly finished. Tarmac complete, some painting done, signage and similar still to do, but possibly finished by end of the month.
Interestingly, the approach to the roundabout over the bridge is marked left lane-turn left, right lane turn left and straight on [A141] We'll see how many years it takes for people to get used to that, the similar arrangement approaching Pullover roundabout at Kings Lynn on the A47 still gets people upset sometimes.
Well yes, the A141 is hardly straight on from the eastbound A47 unless there's been some serious skewing round of the approaches
That'll be the NH preference for never using a right turn arrow on the approach to a roundabout, for fear someone might take it literally.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by ais523 »

There were some issues with the temporary traffic management at Guyhirn tonight.

The basic arrangement was to reduce the bridge over the river Nene (i.e. the A47 west of the junction) to a single lane (shared between both directions), with temporary traffic lights. One set of lights was on the A47 before the bridge, with other lights on the other two approaches (the A47 westbound and A141). This management handles all the left-turn and right-turn movements at the roundabout.

However, the roundabout handles more than just the A47 and A141 – traffic coming from the direction of Guyhirn village, along the B1187 or B1542, is forced to turn left onto the A47 (due to a no-right-turn restriction) and thus also forced onto the roundabout. If such traffic is aiming for the A47 westbound, it has to do a complete loop of the roundabout (i.e. it turns left onto the A47 eastbound, then uses the roundabout to backtrack onto the A47 westbound, simulating the forbidden right turn).

Of course, with the traffic management arranged as it was, vehicles trying to perform this movement (from the B1187/B1542 to the A47 westbound) were looping around the roundabout and then approaching the single file of traffic on the bridge during the wrong phase of the lights, so cars were effectively being directed onto the single-file section of the bridge from both directions at the same time. It seems as though the traffic management hadn't taken that movement into account at all, and there was some confusion as a consequence. (A number of enterprising vehicles worked around the issue by turning left onto the A47 in order to obey the no-right-turn restriction, then immediately doing a 3-point turn. This seems to be a more dangerous manoeuvre than the one the no-right-turn restriction was meant to ban, but as far as I can tell doesn't actually break any rules, and the temporary traffic lights made it fairly safe.)
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

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The four major A47 schemes are now quite far advanced in the DCO process. NH list the construction start date for all of them as January-March 2023.

A47 Blofield to North Burlingham - "The Examining Authority issued a Recommendation Report to the Secretary of State on 22 March 2022. The Secretary of State has three months in which to issue a decision".

A47 North Tuddenham to Easton - "The Examination closed on 12 February 2022. There will now be a period of three months for the Examining Authority to write its report and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will then have three months in which to make a decision".

A47 - A11 Thickthorn Junction - "The Examination closed at 23:59 on 23 March 2022 and the Examining Authority’s Notification of the completion of the Examination has been published".

A47 Wansford to Sutton - "12 July 2022 Deadline for close of examination".

https://infrastructure.planninginspecto ... s/eastern/
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by doebag »

According to National Highways' twitter feed, Guyhirn is officially open.
There is already some complaining that the lane markings will cause road rage.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

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"The Planning Inspectorate has issued a report of recommendation to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State has 3 months in which to issue a decision." Which he can unilaterally extend, of course.

https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by A1OZZ »

The only significant hold up on the A47, both east and west bound between Wansford and Kings Lynn, that I’ve experienced anyway, is the A1101 Wisbech/Elm roundabout. The signal controlled pedestrian crossing on the west side doesn’t help matters.

The single carriageway sections and general road surface conditions are an annoyance.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by jackal »

A1OZZ wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:44 The only significant hold up on the A47, both east and west bound between Wansford and Kings Lynn, that I’ve experienced anyway, is the A1101 Wisbech/Elm roundabout. The signal controlled pedestrian crossing on the west side doesn’t help matters.

The single carriageway sections and general road surface conditions are an annoyance.
To be fair NH have noticed this, and have a £55m scheme for this junction in early development.
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by doebag »

jackal wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 13:02
A1OZZ wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:44 The only significant hold up on the A47, both east and west bound between Wansford and Kings Lynn, that I’ve experienced anyway, is the A1101 Wisbech/Elm roundabout. The signal controlled pedestrian crossing on the west side doesn’t help matters.

The single carriageway sections and general road surface conditions are an annoyance.
To be fair NH have noticed this, and have a £55m scheme for this junction in early development.
It might have been easier before the four houses were built on the N/W corner.
Now that Guyhirn flows a lot better the next bottleneck is the A1101 roundabout .
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Re: A47 Corridor improvement programme

Post by skiddaw05 »

doebag wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 16:37
jackal wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 13:02
A1OZZ wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 12:44 The only significant hold up on the A47, both east and west bound between Wansford and Kings Lynn, that I’ve experienced anyway, is the A1101 Wisbech/Elm roundabout. The signal controlled pedestrian crossing on the west side doesn’t help matters.

The single carriageway sections and general road surface conditions are an annoyance.
To be fair NH have noticed this, and have a £55m scheme for this junction in early development.
It might have been easier before the four houses were built on the N/W corner.
Now that Guyhirn flows a lot better the next bottleneck is the A1101 roundabout .
I wonder what they've got in mind
Looking from above here there could be a some limited scope to widen the A47 approaches and make the roundabout a bit bigger. But even with grander plans to dual the A47 I can't see how you could avoid still having a flat roundabout here
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