Norfolk A11 road upgrade between Spooner Row and Tuttles Interchange hits halfway point

National Highways has released pictures of the partial upgrade of the A11 in Norfolk. Credit: National Highways
The northbound carriageway has now been resurfaced, said National Highways. Credit: National Highways

A £60m upgrade on a major trunk road has passed the halfway point, said National Highways.

New images of the A11 in Norfolk show the old concrete road surface on the northbound carriageway has been torn up, to be replaced with a asphalt surface which engineers say will be smoother, quieter and safer.

Drivers on the stretch between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange have endured months of delays, with the dual carriageway reduced to a single lane under a 40mph speed limit in both directions since work began in summer 2022.

Over summer and autumn, National Highways has relaid 5.3 miles of road on the northbound carriageway. In total work crews have:

  • Removed 30,000 cubic metres of concrete, which could fill 15 Olympic sized swimming pools;

  • Laid 72,000 tonnes of new asphalt road surface;

  • Installed 6.2 miles of new drainage;

  • Installed 3.7 miles of new safety barriers.

The road is used by 45,000 drivers every day, meaning the surface has racked up hundreds of millions of journeys since it was laid in the 1990s.

The northbound carriageway of the A11 in Norfolk has been relaid. Credit: National Highways

Andy Jobling, National Highways programme lead, said: “We are thrilled to complete the reconstruction of the northbound carriageway, which will provide a much smoother and quieter ride for tens of thousands of drivers every day. Our attention now turns to repeating the reconstruction process on the southbound carriageway.

“We know that living, working or travelling in and around a major construction scheme isn’t easy, so we’re extremely grateful for the patience and understanding that motorists, local people and businesses have shown whilst we’ve been carrying out this vital upgrade.”

While working on the southbound carriageway, crews will remove the old concrete road surface and some of the foundations, before rebuilding the road with recycled material and a new asphalt surface.

The single-lane contraflow system will move from the southbound carriageway to the northbound, from Thursday, 12 January.

Motorists have endured months of delays because of the works, which will continue until the summer. Credit: National Highways

The project will also see replacement kerbs installed, the drainage system refurbished, safety barriers replaced, new road markings and new cat’s eyes fitted. 

The scheme is expected to be complete in summer 2023.

National Highways said innovative techniques had been used to reduce the CO2 emissions during construction, including recycling 30,000 cubic metres of concrete from the old road surface into the new surface.

The scheme's average speed cameras are being powered with renewable energy and the site compound uses kinetic floor tiles, which generate electricity when walked over.

Concrete roads make up almost 400 miles (4%) of England’s motorway and major A-road network.

Mostly found along the eastern side of the country, in the North East, Yorkshire, East Anglia and the South East, there are also some smaller stretches in other parts of England.

Around half of the old-style concrete roads in the East will either have repairs or be replaced during this period, including stretches on the A11, A14, A12, A120 and M11. 

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