A11 concrete road reconstruction at Wymondham (Completed)
We’ve reconstructed sections of the A11 carriageway between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham in both directions. Work started on 29 May 2022, and was completed in September 2023.
Latest updates
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21 February 2024
A11 Wymondham Bypass overnight closures, 24 to 25 February 2024.
As part of our demobilisation, we’ll be resurfacing a section of Spinks Lane. We’re only able to resurface Spinks Lane now that our site compound has been removed, and we’ve reinstated the land to fields. This surfacing is taking place to reinstate a smooth road surface following increased usage while we worked to reconstruct the A11.
To do this work safely, we’ll be temporarily closing the Tuttles Interchange southbound exit and entry slip roads overnight between 8pm and 6am on 24 February 2024 and 25 February 2024.
During this time traffic wishing to exit the A11 via the Tuttles Interchange southbound exit slip road will need to continue southbound on the A11 until you reach the Browick Road southbound exit slip road. Turn right onto Browick Road, and at the third roundabout turn left onto Ayton Road. At the end of Ayton Road turn right onto Station Road, and then turn right onto the B1172. Follow the B1172 northbound to continue your journey.Those wishing to join the A11 southbound carriageway will need to travel southbound on the B1172 until you reach Station Road. Turn right onto Station Road before turning left onto Ayton Road. At the roundabout take the third exit and continue until you reach the A11 Browick Road southbound entry slip road.
Please note that all closures are subject to change at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances or poor weather conditions.
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26 January 2024
Weekend road closures, Friday 9 February to Monday 12 February 2024
Following a recent road safety audit of the A11, we’ve identified two areas within the central reservation along the Wymondham Bypass that require hardening work.
To create crossover points, sections of the central reserve needed to be hardened: originally the central reserve was soil which need to be paved as part of the installation of the contraflow.
Instead of returning these areas back to soil, we have retained the hardened sections to support future maintenance on the A11. This left two short soft soil sections between the areas of hardening. Following the road safety audit, which is conducted after completion of the work, we have decided to harden these short sections to reduce the risk of potential loss of control incidents.
To complete this work as quickly and as safely as possible, we’ll need a full weekend closure of the A11 northbound carriageway, with one lane of the southbound carriageway open during the day, from 8pm on Friday 9 February 2024, to 6am on Monday 12 February 2024. Please find more detail regarding the closures in the tables below.
A11 Northbound weekend road closures
Date of road closure
Closure
From 8pm on Friday 9 February 2024, to 6am on Monday 12 February 2024
Full closure of the A11 northbound carriageway between Attleborough and the Thickthorn Interchange
A11 Southbound weekend road closures
Date of road closure
Closure
From 8pm on Friday 9 February 2024, to 6am on Saturday 10 February 2024
Full closure of the A11 southbound carriageway between the Thickthorn Interchange and Attleborough
From 8am on Saturday 10 February to 5pm on Sunday 11 February 2024
Single lane closure of the A11 southbound carriageway between the Thickthorn Interchange and Attleborough
From 8pm on Sunday 9 February 2024, to 6am on Monday 12 February 2024
Full closure of the A11 southbound carriageway between the Thickthorn Interchange and Attleborough
During the closures time, traffic wishing to travel northbound on the A11 will be diverted along the A1066 at Thetford, before travelling northbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A47 towards the A11 at the Thickthorn interchange.
Southbound traffic will be diverted along the A47 at Thickthorn, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A1066 towards Thetford. For more information, please see the diversion route map at the end of this letter.
The weekend carriageway closure is needed so our team can complete the work safely. We’re sorry for the disruption the closure may cause to your journey, and we encourage drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling.
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15 December 2023
Upcoming closures and diversions - December 2023
We need to apply herbicide to the newly planted vegetation on the A11 to help ensure it grows. We also need to test the new road surface and install some missing road studs (cat's eyes) in a layby.
To do this work, we’ll need to close the following roads between 8pm and 6am on the dates below:Sunday 17 December 2023
• A11 Browick Road southbound exit slip road
• A11 Tuttles Lane southbound entry slip road.
Monday 18 December 2023
• A11 Mulbarton northbound entry slip road
• Full closure of the A11 northbound from Mulbarton to Tuttles Interchange
• A11 Browick southbound exit slip road
• A11 Tuttles Lane southbound entry slip road.
Diverted traffic will be asked to follow the B1172 either southbound or northbound before re-joining the A11 via the next available junction.Please note that all dates are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances or poor weather conditions.
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14 September 2023
Work is completed
We have now completed the main work on this project, upgrading around 10 miles of dual carriageway.
The 45,000 drivers who use this stretch of road daily will all now benefit from the smoother, safer, quieter, and more reliable road surface.
We were delighted to welcome the Road Minister, Richard Holden MP, who visited the £65m scheme today (14 September).
Decades of use and hundreds of millions of journeys had left the stretch of A11 between Spooner Row and Tuttles Interchange in a deteriorating condition. Using cutting-edge technology and techniques, our comprehensive scheme saw the removal of the old concrete road surface and some of its foundations, before rebuilding with recycled material and a new asphalt top.
We have also been using a number of innovative techniques to reduce the CO2 emissions during construction. This includes recycling 60,000 cubic metres of concrete – which could fill 24 Olympic sized swimming pools - was removed from the carriageway and recycled into the new road, powering the schemes average speed cameras with renewable energy and the exploratory use of kinetic floor tiles in the site compound that generate electricity when walked over.
Over the past 16 months, whilst we reconstructed close to 10 miles of carriageway, we have:
· Removed and recycled 60,000 cubic metres of concrete, which is enough to fill 24 Olympic sized swimming pools
· Laid 147,000 tonnes of new asphalt, the equivalent weight of 786 Boeing 747 planes
· Installed 27,000 metres of new drainage, the same length of 257 Premier League football pitches back-to-back
· Put in place 13,000 metres of new safety barrier
· Painted 41,000 metres of road marking and laid 3,600 road studs
· Installed 60 new traffic signs.
We'd like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we did this work.
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30 August 2023
Upcoming overnight slip road and carriageway closures
We’re continuing to make good progress, and our roadworks will be removed on the northbound carriageway from 6am 22 August 2023, and on the southbound carriageway from 6am on the morning of 25 August 2023.
This means that two lanes will be open for traffic on the northbound and southbound carriageways, with a national speed limit of 70mph in place during the daytime and when no overnight closures are in place.
There will be a need for overnight closures beyond 25 August 2023, as we work to complete the final activities ahead of scheme completion. To complete our work safely, we’ll be closing the the A11 southbound, Thickthorn to Attleborough, from 7 September to 8 September 2023 between 8pm and 6am. The A11 northbound, Attleborough to Thickthorn, will also be closed from 30 August to 1 September 2023 and 4 September to 6 September 2023, again between 8pm and 6am.
Diversion routes
Traffic travelling northbound on the A11 will be diverted eastbound along the A1066 at Thetford, before travelling northbound on the A140 towards the A47. At the A47 junction join the A47 westbound to Thickthorn interchange.Road users wishing to travel southbound will be asked to travel eastbound along the A47, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A1066 towards Thetford, before re-joining the A11.
Diversion route map
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28 July 2023
July and August overnight road closures
From Monday 7 August, we’ll be moving into the next phase (Stage 4) of our roadworks as we come closer to finishing our work. There will be a phased reopening of all slip roads, with one lane of traffic open in each direction on the main A11 carriageway.
Before we can reopen the slip roads, we need to install a contraflow crossover point for traffic on the main A11 carriageway.
To do this work safely, we’ll be temporarily closing the Tuttles Interchange southbound entry slip road from 8pm on Monday 24 July until 6am on Monday 7 August. To help ease congestion while this work is carried out, we’ll be reopening the Spooner Row southbound entry slip road at the same time.
After this, the Tuttles Interchange southbound entry slip road and the Spooner Row southbound entry slip road will both remain open to traffic from Monday 7 August 2023.
We cannot confirm the exact dates that the other slip roads between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange will reopen at this time, but the information will be published on this webpage as the details are confirmed. Stage 4 will last until late August 2023, when we will open both lanes of the A11 in each direction at 70mph.
Please note there will be some overnight road closures after August 2023, as we complete the final remaining work. We’ll give information about these road closures closer to the time once the details are confirmed.
Upcoming overnight road closures during July and August
In addition to the slip road closures above, we’re continuing to carry out drainage and CCTV survey work on the A11 carriageway.
To carry this work out safely, we’ll be closing the following roads between 8pm and 6am each weekday night between the dates listed below:
Date of closure Details of road closure Monday 10 to Friday 14 July A11 northbound from Attleborough to Thickthorn Monday 17 to Friday 21 July Monday 24 to Friday 28 July A11 southbound from Thickthorn to Attleborough Monday 31 July to Friday 4 August 7 August to 24 August A11 northbound from Attleborough to Thickthorn Diversion routes
Northbound traffic on the A11 will be diverted along the A1066 at Thetford, before travelling eastbound on the A140, and then northbound towards the A47. At the A47 junction join the A47 westbound to Thickthorn interchange.
Southbound traffic will be asked to travel eastbound along the A47, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then eastbound on the A1066 towards Thetford, before re-joining the A11.
Diversion route map
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06 June 2023
Upcoming June road closures on the A11 concrete roads scheme
We’re making good progress on the reconstruction of the A11 carriageway and in the coming months we’ll be undertaking drainage and CCTV survey work on both sides of the carriageway.
To carry out this work safely, we’ll be putting in place a series of closures until the end of August 2023. Please see the table below for more information.
We’ll be closing the following roads between 8pm and 6am each night on the dates listed below:
Date of closure Details of road closure Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 June 2023 Full overnight closure of the A11 northbound Attleborough to Thickthorn Monday 26 June 2023 Wednesday 28 to Friday 30 June 2023 Please note that we’ll get in touch to provide more information when the details of the remaining overnight closure in July and August have been confirmed.
Diversion route
A clearly signed diversion route will be in place throughout these closures.
Traffic wishing to travel northbound on the A11 will be diverted along the A1066 at Thetford, before travelling eastbound on the A140, and then northbound towards the A47. At the A47 junction join the A47 westbound to Thickthorn interchange.
Diversion route map
Weekend closure of A11 northbound Browick/Mulbarton carriageway
In addition to the overnight closures listed above, we’ll also need to close a small section of the A11 northbound between the Browick Road junction exit and entry slip roads from 8pm on Friday 23 June 2023 until 6am on Monday 26 June 2023. This is so we can carry out drainage work.
A clearly signed “up and over” diversion route will be in place, which will divert traffic off the A11 at the Browick Road northbound exit slip road, before re-joining the A11 at the Browick Road northbound entry slip road.
We’re sorry for the disruption this work may cause to your journey and encourage drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling. Please note that these closures are subject to change at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances or poor weather conditions. Please check this webpage and our Twitter feed (@HighwaysEAST) for the latest information before you travel.
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25 May 2023
Re-opening of the A11 Tuttles Interchange northbound exit slip road
We’re pleased to announce that we'll be reopening the A11 Tuttles Interchange northbound exit slip road next week, as we've completed our work on this section of the road sooner than originally forecast.
The slip road will reopen at 6am on Thursday 1 June 2023.
We’d like to thank you for your patience while this work was completed. We hope that by providing another access point for road users, it will help to reduce congestion at both the Tuttles Interchange and on the B1172 through Wymondham.
Upcoming overnight closures
We’re continuing to carry out drainage work as part of the A11 concrete road reconstruction scheme between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham.
So this work can be carried out safely, we’ll be closing the following roads between 8pm and 6am on the dates listed below:
Date of road closure Details of road closure Thursday 25 May
and
Tuesday 30 May
Overnight closure of the A11 southbound between Thickthorn and Attleborough Overnight closure of the B1135 from Spinks Lane to the B1172 Diversion route
A clearly signed diversion route will be in place during these closures. Road users wishing to travel southbound will be diverted eastbound from the Thickthorn roundabout along the A47, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A1066 towards Thetford, before re-joining the A11.
Diversion route map
Closure of Spooner Row southbound entry slip – rat running
Earlier this month we closed the southbound exit slip road at Spooner Row so we can begin the next phase of our work, however we’re aware that some road users aren’t using the official A11 southbound diversion route.
We ask drivers not to ‘rat run’ on smaller, local roads, as this can impact on villages and local communities. Not only do these roads have lower speed restrictions, they also aren’t meant for large vehicles or high volumes of traffic, and often have weight restrictions in place. It can also lead to more congestion, increasing the risk of accidents for both motorists and pedestrians.
Please follow the clearly signed diversion route that is in place until the slip road reopens at the end of this scheme. Please see below for more information.
Diversion route during closure of Spooner Row southbound entry slip road
Traffic is asked to follow the B1172 through Wymondham, before joining the A11 southbound at the Tuttles Interchange.
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15 May 2023
Upcoming overnight closures until Tuesday 30 May
We’re continuing our work to rebuild the A11 concrete road between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham.
Later this month, we’ll be closing the A11 carriageway overnight to carry out drainage work. So this work can be carried out safely, we’ll be closing the following roads between 8pm and 6am each night on the dates listed below:
Date of road closure Details of road closure Monday 22 May to Thursday 25 May
and
Tuesday 30 May
Overnight closure of the A11 southbound between Thickthorn and Attleborough Overnight closure of the B1135 from Spinks Lane to the B1172 Diversion route
A clearly signed diversion route will be in place during these closures. Road users wishing to travel southbound will be diverted eastbound from the Thickthorn roundabout along the A47, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A1066 towards Thetford, before re-joining the A11.
Diversion route map
Closure of Spooner Row southbound entry slip – rat running
Earlier this month we closed the southbound exit slip road at Spooner Row so we can begin the next phase of our work, however we’re aware that some road users aren’t using the official A11 southbound diversion route.
We ask drivers not to ‘rat run’ on smaller, local roads, as this can impact on villages and local communities. Not only do these roads have lower speed restrictions, they also aren’t meant for large vehicles or high volumes of traffic, and often have weight restrictions in place. It can also lead to more congestion, increasing the risk of accidents for both motorists and pedestrians.
Please follow the clearly signed diversion route that is in place until the slip road reopens at the end of this scheme. Please see below for more information.
Diversion route during closure of Spooner Row southbound entry slip road
Traffic is asked to follow the B1172 through Wymondham, before joining the A11 southbound at the Tuttles Interchange.
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28 April 2023
Upcoming work on the A11 concrete roads scheme
We’ll be moving into the next phase of our work on the A11 next week, which involves making some changes to the contraflow roadworks. Please note that some of the dates below have been changed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Reopening of slip roads
To help reduce disruption and congestion during this phase of our work, we’re re-opening the southbound entry slip road at the Tuttles Interchange from 6am on Wednesday 3 May. We expect the Tuttles Interchange northbound exit slip road will be ready to open by the end of May 2023. We’ll share more information about this on this webpage when the details are confirmed.
Please note: due to unforeseen circumstances, the re-opening of the A11 Browick/Mulbarton northbound exit slip has been pushed back by three days. It will now open at 6am on Saturday 6 May 2023. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, and we thank you for your patience.
Upcoming road closures
Date and time of closure Road closure Tuesday 2 May, 8pm to 6am Overnight closure of A11 southbound between Thickthorn and Attleborough to go into stage 3b. From 6am on Wednesday 3 May until mid-summer
*UPDATED*
Full closure of the Spooner Row southbound entry slip road until mid-summer. Thursday 4 May and Friday 5 May, 8pm to 6am each night
*UPDATED*
Full closure of A11 northbound between Attleborough and Thickthorn. During these closures, a clearly signed diversion route will be in place. Please see the ‘diversion route’ section below for more information.
Spooner Row southbound entry slip road during the King’s Coronation
Following a request by key stakeholders within the village of Spooner Row, we’ll be temporarily re-opening the A11 Spooner Row southbound entry slip road to enable celebrations to take place for His Majesty King Charles III Coronation. The slip road will be opened at 6am on Saturday 6 May 2023, before re-closing again at 1am on Tuesday 9 May so we can continue our work in this area.
Diversion route
Diversion route for A11 southbound traffic
Road users wishing to travel southbound will be diverted on the A11 to travel eastbound from the Thickthorn roundabout along the A47, before travelling southbound on the A140, and then westbound on the A1066 towards Thetford, before re-joining the A11.
Please also see the ‘A11 through traffic’ diversion route map below for more information.
Diversion route for A11 northbound traffic
Customers wishing to travel northbound on the A11 will be directed westbound at Thetford along the A1066, before then travelling northbound on the A140 towards Norwich, and then westbound on the A47 to the Thickthorn roundabout.
Diversion route during Spooner Row southbound exit slip road closure
Traffic will be diverted to follow the B1172 through Wymondham, before joining the A11 southbound at the Tuttles Interchange.
Diversion route maps
Diversion route for A11 through traffic
Diversion route for A11 southbound local traffic
Project information
We're reconstructing the A11 between Spooner Row and Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham. Work started in May 2022.
Reconstruction involves completely removing the concrete road surface and some of the foundations, before rebuilding the road and resurfacing it with asphalt.
The East region has the highest concentration of concrete roads on our road network, including the A11, A14, A12, A120, and M11.
Around half of the old-style concrete roads will either have repairs or will be replaced during the next five years.
We’re using innovative ways of working and new technology to provide a modern road that will last for decades to come. This will also make it easier and quicker for us to carry out repairs in the future.
This video explains the process we go through to rebuild concrete roads:
Find out more about our nationwide Concrete Roads work.
Why we need the scheme
The surface of concrete roads that were designed between the 1950s and 1970s have an average life span of 50 years. Their surfaces are now reaching the stage where they will need to be repaired or replaced for safety reasons, and to help them be less noisy and better to drive on.
In 2021, we made repairs to 4 miles of the A11 road surface between Tuttles Interchange in Wymondham and Thickthorn, in both directions.
Now, we're rebuilding and resurfacing the A11 road carriageway between Spooner Row and Tuttles Interchange.
About this scheme
We started our work to reconstruct this section of the A11 road in May 2022, and expect to finish by September 2023, subject to weather conditions.
By the end of 2022, we’d reconstructed 5.3 miles of the A11 road northbound, which means a smoother road surface, less noise and improved safety for drivers.
In early 2023, we started working on the southbound section.
We’ve created a short video to show our scheme progress since we began work in May 2022, or read our latest newsletter published in January 2023.
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange progress video
How we’re working
We're doing the work in the following stages:
Stage 1: Installation of roadworks on southbound carriageway (complete)
Stage 2: Rebuilding the northbound A11 between Spooner Row and Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham (complete)
Stage 3: Rebuilding the southbound A11 from Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham to Spooner Row (in progress).
During stage 3a, the following slip roads will be closed:
- Spooner Row northbound entry slip
- Spooner Row southbound exit slip
- Browick Junction southbound exit and entry slip
- Tuttles Interchange southbound entry slip
Stage 3b: We will need the Spooner Row southbound entry slip road to be closed, and we will open the Tuttles Interchange southbound entry slip road so that local road users can access the A11 southbound. A full list of closed slip roads will be published closer to the time.
Stage 4: This will be the final stage, ahead of completing our work. During this time we’ll start to re-open all slip roads – more information relating to slip road openings will be made in due course. The following slip roads will be open though, from the start of stage 4:
- Spooner Row northbound exit slip
- Spooner Row southbound entry slip
- Browick Junction northbound entry and exit slip
- Tuttles Interchange northbound entry and exit slip
- Tuttles Interchange southbound entry slip
Roadworks
We are using a ‘contraflow’ system to keep everyone safe and the road open whilst we’re working. A contraflow is when the road is shut in one direction and traffic is then moved over to drive on the other side of the road to share the remaining road space. This provides us with a clear working area, which means we can work more quickly and safely.
By using a contraflow, the A11 can have one lane of traffic in each direction for most of the construction period. Full road closures are only be needed when we set up and take down our roadworks. The speed limit is temporarily reduced to 40mph for safety.
We’ve tried to keep local traffic on the A11 during the construction of the scheme, but this isn’t possible for safety reasons. We’ve also tried to find a balance in having long distance traffic on the A11, as well as local road users. Unfortunately, our roadworks will cause delays on both the A11 and on local roads during peak morning and evening times. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Please allow extra time for your journey. The maximum expected delay for traffic on the A11 between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange during the construction will be an extra:
- 14 mins for traffic travelling northbound on the A11 during peak times
- 10 mins for traffic travelling southbound on the A11 during peak times
Unfortunately, some slip roads will need to be closed for long periods during construction.
Diversion routes
We’re encouraging long-distance through traffic to use a route that avoids the A11 altogether, so that local roads have less congestion whilst we do our work. Instead, they will take a route along the A1066 and the A140 to bypass our roadworks.
We’re also continuing to talk with the local and wider community throughout the construction period, so that you can make decisions about your journey.
Long distance and local diversion route maps
Diversion for long-distance traffic on A11
B1135 diversion
We’ve had to close some of the entry and exit slip roads between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange for two reasons:
- Because we’re rebuilding the A11 southbound, and so traffic isn’t able to reach the slip roads during this time.
- Because we’ve reduced the A11 to one lane in both directions whilst we work. To keep the traffic flowing well, we need to close certain entry and exit slip road within the roadworks. Cars queuing on these slip roads or trying to join the single lane on the A11 will interrupt the traffic flow, and cause congestion within the roadworks.
There is a 40mph speed limit is in place for the safety of road users, and our workers. Our safety assessments show that 40mph is the highest, safest speed limit in roadwork.
We provide a free 24/7 recovery service within the roadworks. There are 23 cameras along the length of our roadworks that allow us to quickly identify stranded vehicles. These alert our recovery team, who then go to the vehicle and removing it via one of our access gates in the temporary barrier, and get them to a safer place.
Emergency vehicles are allowed to drive in our sectioned-off work areas, which allows them to quickly bypass any congestion when they’re responding to an emergency.
When complete, the scheme will:
- improve safety and provide a smoother rider for road users
- reduce noise levels
- create a new modern road with a 40 to 50-year lifespan that’ll be easier and quicker for us to repair in future
Documents
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange project newsletter: March 2023
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange project newsletter: February 2023
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange project newsletter: January 2023
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange project newsletter: October 2022
A11 Spooner Row to Tuttles Interchange project newsletter: May 2022
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