Crash barrier on Caister A149 after 45-year wait

A crash barrier is being installed on a dual carriageway 45 years after it opened, after a series of accidents.

The £660,000 project on the A149 Caister-on-Sea bypass in Norfolk is expected to take almost six weeks, during which time lane closures and speed limits will be in place.

Penny Carpenter, who represents Caister on Norfolk County Council, said barriers may not have seemed necessary in 1978, but now they were.

One lane will be closed on each side.

The county council, which is overseeing the barrier installation, said it was "designed to address the poor safety record on this busy section of the road which has seen a number of personal accident injuries over recent years".

Penny Carpenter said she had been lobbying for a crash barrier for years

Ms Carpenter said: "In December 2020 there was a study of collisions on this road... and there were 12 very serious injury collisions - and in 33% of those... the vehicle had travelled across the central carriageway on to the other carriageway, so for me, this is all about safety.

"I have been battling for this for a long time... so I'm delighted we've got to this point today."

She said she had been driving in 1978, but "the traffic was nowhere near what it is today... it [the A149] didn't perhaps need it [a barrier] then, but I believe it needs it now".

The council said installation of the barrier would take place between 13 November and 22 December.

It will run the length of the bypass between the Caister Road roundabout at Great Yarmouth and the Norwich Road roundabout at Caister.

While the road will remain open, lane two in both directions will be closed to ensure the safety of those working on the road, the council said in a statement.

There will be a 40mph (64km/h) speed limit on the open lanes.