A11 concrete road reconstruction at Wymondham

We’re reconstructing sections of the A11 carriageway between Spooner Row and the Tuttles Interchange at Wymondham in both directions. Work started on 29 May 2022, and is due to be completed in late summer 2023.

Start date 29 May 2022

End date September 2023

Cost £65 million

Latest updates

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

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	A11 northbound from Attleborough to Thickthorn
Monday 24 to Friday 28 July	A11 southbound from Thickthorn to Attleborough
Monday 31 July to Friday 4 August	A11 southbound from Thickthorn to Attleborough
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

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.

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.

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

Diversion route map

Closure of Spooner Row southbound entry slip – rat running

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.

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

See more updates

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

View phasing illustration

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