04-08-2025
Long Stratton locals get first look at new A140 bypass
People living in a traffic-congested town said a new £47m bypass will make an "enormous difference" to the decades, Long Stratton in Norfolk has been a "pinch point" on the A140 - a crucial link between Ipswich and Norwich. A new section of carriageway to take vehicles around, not through, the town is due to open by the end of the the weekend, part of the new 2.4-mile (3.9-km) road was opened for a few hours so hundreds of locals could run, walk or cycle along Stratton county councillor Alison Thomas said it was a "lovely day for the community to come together".
"It's a road we've been waiting for a very long time," added Thomas, a Conservative councillor."We get up to 24,000 cars per day going through [Long Stratton], mostly just passing through. "This [bypass] will make a massive difference."
Residents were able to try the new route between 11:00 BST and 15:00. Among them was local cyclist James Youngs. He said it was "superb"."With the amount of congestion that trundles through Long Stratton, I think it's going to bring immense benefits for the community as a whole," he added."It will make it a lot safer travelling through [as a cyclist] rather than living in fear of getting hit by a lorry."
Sarah Wratten said: "I've lived in and around here for nearly 30 years, and I've been looking forward to a bypass for 30 years."It's a shame it isn't a dual carriageway, but at least we're not going to have traffic in the same way through the village."
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