Work to create a new right-turn lane from Great Yarmouth Railway Station and Asda to start in January

The new junction will allow vehicles to turn right from the access road onto the A149 Acle New Road towards Great Yarmouth town centre, whereas currently all traffic from the Asda and station site has to turn left and use the Vauxhall roundabout. The right turn lane will take traffic off this busy roundabout, reducing congestion and shortening journey times.

The £400,000 improvement scheme is due to get underway on Monday, 8 January and is part of wider work being carried out by Norfolk County Council to alleviate congestion and make it easier to get into and around Great Yarmouth.

Martin Wilby, Chairman of Norfolk County Council's Environment, Development and Transport Committee, said: "There's a lot of support in the town for this improvement. People can see what a difference it will make, particularly alongside the improvements we're making to Fuller's Hill roundabout - we expect the combined effect to be significant and help people travelling through the area to get from A to B more quickly and reliably."

During the work, which is due to be completed by the end of May, there will be a series of multi-way temporary traffic signals and lane closures to control traffic in each direction, which will replace the current permanent traffic lights at the junction. Access to all businesses in the area will be maintained.

Some road closures will be necessary during weekends between late April and late May, although no closures will take place on the bank holiday weekends. More information regarding the road closure dates will be published nearer the time. The work is due to be finished by late May, subject to the weather conditions allowing the County Council's contractors to stay on schedule. This work is being carried out over the winter and spring in order to avoid the town's peak tourist season and therefore minimise the impact on the town.

Mick Castle, Norfolk County Councillor for the Yarmouth North and Central Division, said: "There has been an awful lot of highways works in Yarmouth this autumn and winter - and there is still more to come - but I for one am really pleased to see work on the ASDA/rail station right-turn coming to fruition in January. Once completed it will make a real difference to traffic flow in and out of town and should be appreciated by locals and visitors alike."

Graham Plant, Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader, said: "Everyone knows how busy the Vauxhall roundabout can get, especially during the peak holiday period. The new right-turn will relieve this key trunk road junction of unnecessary traffic, which together with planned capacity improvements at the roundabout itself and the works currently underway at Fuller's Hill, will improve traffic flow and journey times around the area. This in turn will help to support the case for dualling the Acle Straight, which the borough council is supporting as a top priority through the A47 Alliance."

Improvement work on Fuller's Hill roundabout and on North Quay got underway in the autumn, as part of the wider aim to make it easier to get around Great Yarmouth.

At Fuller's Hill roundabout, Norfolk County Council's contractor is nearing completion on work to create an extra lane on the roundabout by reducing the size of the central island. An additional right-hand turn lane is also being put in on the North Quay approach from the north where often queues are particularly bad due to the volume of traffic wanting to get onto the A47.

The work is on schedule to be finished by the end of January, subject to any delays due to the weather, and to help minimise disruption the current lane closures on the roundabout will be lifted from this Friday (22 December) until Monday, 8 January for the Christmas break, with temporary road markings put in place.

The final phase of work at the roundabout will see it resurfaced along with the adjoining sections of the four approach roads. This will require the roundabout to be closed but the work will be carried out overnight to reduce the impact on people living and working in, or visiting, Great Yarmouth. The roundabout will therefore be closed between 7pm and 6am for seven nights from Monday, 15 January until the morning of Monday, 22 January. Signed diversions will be in place.

Work to provide better walking and cycling links between the railway station and the marketplace began at the end of October on North Quay, with the intention of encouraging visitors and local people to make better use the railway station. 

The second phase of this improvement work will begin on Monday, 8 January on The Conge and it will be necessary to close sections of The Conge from early January to the end of March, weather-permitting, to allow work including widening of the pavements, creating new crossing points and resurfacing to be carried out safely. Access to businesses will be maintained and diversion routes will be signed. The closures on The Conge are scheduled as follows:

•           Monday 8 January to late January: from North Quay junction to George Street junction. No access              from North Quay.
•           Late January to mid-February: from George Street junction to Church Plain junction.
•           Mid-February to mid-March: From Church Plain junction to Market Place junction. No through                  traffic to Market Place. Access to Market Place car park and Fuller's Hill via alternate routes to be              confirmed nearer the time.
•           Throughout March 2018: carriageway resurfacing of The Conge and Howard Street North.                          Various areas of road closure required. Diversion routes will be signed for each closure.

Work will also re-commence in the new year along North Quay. This will see the pavement widened on the east (town) side, the combined pedestrian and cycle crossing of North Quay completed and road resurfacing. Because of how wide North Quay is, these works can be carried out safely with minimal traffic management along the road so there should be little impact on journey times.

Norfolk County Council wishes to thank people living and working in Great Yarmouth for their patience while this improvement work is carried out. The work has been scheduled to take place between autumn and spring to avoid causing disruption during the peak tourist season, which is so important to the town.

Other improvement works designed to make it easier and more pleasant to get around Great Yarmouth are due to be carried out in 2018, including making improvements to the railway station forecourt and creating a landscaped 'garden walk' between Vauxhall Bridge and North Quay. The nature of this work means they should cause little or no disruption to people getting around the town.

For more information, visit Asda changes to road (opens new window)

Press release issued by Norfolk County Council on December 21, 2017