Bridge safety works causing 'chaos', say businesses

Tim Wray of Multi Modal Logistics criticised the A14 Orwell Bridge works due to the delays it was causing to his business

Businesses have said essential safety work on a bridge has caused "chaos" as the start of the lane closures has led to two days of "major delays" on the A14 at Ipswich.

National Highways is currently undertaking work to replace the Orwell Bridge's expansion joints, with work expected to finish mid-late August.

On Monday and earlier, there was severe delays on the A14, A12 and roads around Ipswich due to one lane being closed on the bridge, which carries container traffic using the Port of Felixstowe.

Tim Wray, managing director of haulage firm Multi Modal Logistics, said he was dreading the next few weeks.

There were long delays on the A14 due to a lane closure on Tuesday

"It's causing chaos for us," said Mr Wray, whose firm is based in Felixstowe.

"You've got 5,000 trucks a day coming out of the Port of Felixstowe, let alone all the industrial parks around the area.

"You have schedules to meet, the collection of containers at delivery points, and they're just being left down to random intervals now.

"I'm seeing trucks [take] over two hours to get across the bridge into Felixstowe and we've got worse to come yet because they're going to close the other lane on Wednesday night, so you'll have it both ways.

"My customers don't really appreciate what we have to go through at times and the frustration is building."

Mr Wray, who is also vice chairman of the Road Haulage Association, said he understood the works were necessary, but feared the bridge scheme would continue to negatively affect businesses.

Helen Bott of Treasure Chest Books said she had noticed a difference in her takings which she believed was due to the traffic

Helen Bott, owner of Treasure Chest Books in Felixstowe, said she had seen a noticeable difference in business already.

"For takings we took a third of what we'd taken the previous Monday," she said.

"I've spoken to other shops that said exactly the same.

"I know of one that shut an hour early because there was no point staying open any longer."

She added she "appreciated" the work needed to be done, but she questioned why National Highways had chosen the "very busy period for Felixstowe" when her shop usually saw a majority of its trade.

National Highways did previously explain it had chosen the summer period due to more daylight hours and safer weather conditions for staff working on the concrete bridge.

National Highways is replacing two expansion joints on Orwell Bridge (pictured before the lane closures), which carries the A14 over the river south of Ipswich

Martin Fellows, regional director of National Highways in the East of England, said the works had been planned "carefully" and in a manner that would cause "minimal disruption".

He said he did recognise the "significant congestion" it had already caused, but he stressed the work was "essential".

"It's never easy, but we do carefully monitor exactly how much traffic is going to result," he said.

"We do recognise the impact yesterday and it will continue over the weeks while the scheme takes place.

"What we would ask people is to be patient.

"We'd also ask that they stay on the A14.

"The reason we've installed contraflow - which means we can work on one side of the carriageway, but allow the traffic to travel on the other side of the carriageway, albeit only one lane in each direction - is to ensure that the traffic does stay on the A14 as best as possible."

Mr Fellows said he expected disruption to continue this week before it potentially eases as people planned ahead and got used to the works.