‘Like a badly-made bed’: £2.8m scheme to repair hazardous A-road
Abby Stancliffe-Vaughan, Ieuan Evans and Nick Moran, assessing the state of the tarmac on the A1066, from Thetford to Diss, and said immediate repairs are needed to keep road users safe. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
A main road in Norfolk whose surface resembles a “badly-made bed” is set for £2.8m of improvements.
The A1066, coming out of Thetford, towards Diss, has been described as a "real danger" and "hazard" for motorists and calls have been made for the roads urgent repair. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
Drivers who have been travelling along the A1066, coming out of Thetford and heading towards Diss, have been complaining about the state of road, where the surface has warped and left deep furrows.
Just after Snarehill Stud, the hazardous surface can be seen for miles, which has caused road users to take evasive action.
After calls for upgrades, Norfolk County Council said work would begin on September 7 and last for 11 weeks.
Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “A major £2.8m resurfacing scheme will see the A1066 completely re-layed between Thetford and Riddlesworth.
The A1066, coming out of Thetford, towards Diss, has been described as a "real danger" and "hazard" for motorists and calls have been made for the roads urgent repair. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
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“We were pleased to secure £2.5m funding from the government’s Challenge Fund in February to enable this important scheme to go ahead.
“We put signs in place earlier this year to warn road users of the uneven surface and they will remain in place until the resurfacing is under way.”
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Abby Stancliffe-Vaughan, a social research interviewer from Thetford, said she has seen the road get increasingly worse and feared that it could soon cause an accident.
She said: “Someone could be injured or killed with that completely unexpected road surface.
Abby Stancliffe-Vaughan, from Thetford, has called for immediate repairs to the road surface on the A1066, leaving Thetford, towards Diss. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Emily Thomson
“It resembles a badly-made bed in areas with lumps and rolls of Tarmac at the edges that pose a significant hazard, particularly for cyclists and motorcyclists.”
Jason Myhill, a gardener from Thetford, had a close call in his transit van on the road just over a month ago and said it was like driving on a train track.
“It was Saturday morning: luckily it was quiet,” he said. “I was driving along and it was like I was on a train track. So I looked at it and I was in a groove.
“I couldn’t steer left or right and I thought for a few seconds, ‘I am in trouble here’. To avoid them now I travel a fair way over on the right-hand side, so I’m near the middle of the road.”
Jason Myhill, a gardener from Thetford, had a close call in his transit van on the A1066, coming out of Thetford, towards Diss, and says the road needs immediate repairs. Photo: Jason Myhill - Credit: Jason Myhill
The council said work would be done with the road open and traffic management in place, with closures confined to night-times and some weekends in October.
And when necessary, a diversion route will be put in place along the A1088 and A134.
Ieuan Evans, a Thetford motorcyclist, says the A1066, from Thetford to Diss, need immediate repairs. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
Nick Moran, Thetford cyclist, assessing the state of the tarmac on the A1066, from Thetford to Diss, said immediate repairs are needed to keep road users safe. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
The A1066, coming out of Thetford, towards Diss, has been described as a "real danger" and "hazard" for motorists and calls have been made for the roads urgent repair. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
Abby Stancliffe-Vaughan, from Thetford, assessing the state of the tarmac on the A1066, coming out of Thetford, towards Diss. Photo: Emily Thomson - Credit: Archant
