B1106
| B1106 | ||||||||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||||||||
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| From: | Brandon (TL784865) | |||||||||
| To: | Bury St Edmunds (TL851658) | |||||||||
| Via: | Fornham St Genevieve | |||||||||
| Distance: | 19.5 miles (31.4 km) | |||||||||
| Meets: | B1107, A11, A134, A143, A1101, A14, A1302 | |||||||||
| Former Number(s): | A134 | |||||||||
| Old route now: | B1112 | |||||||||
| Primary Destinations | ||||||||||
| Highway Authorities | ||||||||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||
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The B1106 either comprises two roads that cross each other near Bury St Edmunds, or one road with two spurs that both meet in the same place.
In 1922 the B1106 started on the A134 at Whittington and headed south through Methwold to Brandon, where it ended on the B1105 (now A1065). This section of road was downgraded in the 2000s; the northern half is now an extension of the B1112 whereas the rest is now unclassified.
The B1106 was extended south of Brandon in the early 1920s and, with its original sections having been downgraded, it now starts there. It heads south from Brandon across Thetford Warren, passing the Elvedon Forest Holiday Centre (aka Center Parcs) before crossing the A11 on the edge of Elvedon village. The road continues straight until it gets to Brockley Corner where it has to TOTSO left. A few miles further, it reaches a roundabout in Fornham St Genevieve, where it crosses... the B1106 (so that all four arms of the junction bear the same number).
The Council appear to have hidden this by not putting B1106 on more than one sign visible in any direction, though all routes to it (from Brandon, from the A14, from the A143 and from the Tollgate junction in the town are all very clearly signposted "B1106" where they originate and on subsequent junctions. This adds support to the contention that this is a mistake rather than being deliberately numbered spurs.
This could confuse the unwary, if you approach from the A143 direction and plan to follow the road signposted B1106 towards the A14 the signage would suggest the "B1106" is a right turn (towards Culford and Elveden), there is no mention of the through route to the A14 as it is signposted to Fornham and the Crematorium.
The route used to end shortly afterwards on the A134 but that road now bypasses this point and the old connecting route has been downgraded to become a public footpath. The B1106 therefore continues across the River Lark to meet the A1101 on the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds.
As for the spurs of the B1106, these seem to have been put together in the 1960s to form a bypass of Bury St Edmunds. Traffic from the Norfolk and Suffolk East Coast would often use the A143. It starts on the A14 at junction 42 and heads north, crossing the A1101 via adjacent mini-roundabouts. After going over the River Lark the road meets the mainline of the B1106, before heading east across the A134 to end on the A143 in Great Barton.
In the 1990's a relief road was built north of the town centre between the A143 and the A14 which linked with the A134. This, combined with improvements to the A11 and by passing of Norwich and Thetford, which reduced A143 traffic significantly, meant the B1106 "Western Bypass" route From Gt Barton on the A143 to the A14 near Westley was effectively downgraded, and is no longer signed as a route round the town.
In 2020, a half-bypass of Fornham All Saints was opened with the B1106 routed along it - which is more of a road providing access to new housing areas. However, this has created a situation where we now have a detached section of road, as the bypass doesn't meet up with the rest of the B1106 to the east of Fornham All Saints.
