A47 Lowestoft storm drain improvements

We’re carrying out work to replace a 500m section of storm drains on the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse where there’s often local flooding. We will be working in two phases to reduce impact on the local area, and avoid the summer holidays and peak tourist season. Once complete, the road will be able to better disperse surface water and will be less prone to flooding.

Start date 3 July 2023

End date Spring/Summer 2024

Cost

Latest updates

14 November 2023

Main work starts from November 2023 onwards

In July 2023, we undertook the first phase of work, doing surveys to confirm our final drainage design, as well as inspecting and jet-cleaning existing drains, and temporarily replacing any faulty drain connections.

Due to other utility work in the area after Christmas, and a commitment to minimising inconvenience to the public, our main phase of work will now be split up. Part of the work will be done before Christmas, and the rest during spring/summer 2024.

Diagram showing all 3 phases of work:

Diagram showing all 3 phases of work

(There are more maps showing the work phases are available in a separate section on this webpage).

Work starts soon

The main phase of the work will start Monday 20 November for approximately four weeks. To shorten the overall duration, we will be working longer hours of 7am to 11pm on weekdays only, weather permitting.

This work requires a series of 24/7 local road closures and temporary traffic lights, and a site compound at the corner of Sussex Road/the A47. We will also need night-time road closures to fully replace sections of the road surface.

Details of what's being done in the different phases of our work is shown below. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

Date / Phase

Notes

Monday 20 November to Friday 15 December 2023

Phase 1

Two-way 24/7 traffic lights situated between Sussex Road and The Ravine.

Closures of Sussex Road, Corton Road, North Parade and Royal Avenue, where they meet the A47.

24/7 closure of Sussex Road/A47 junction for installation of site compound

Working hours of 7am to 11pm, weekdays only. Traffic lights still in operation on weekends.

Tuesday 5 December to Friday 8 December 2023

Phase 1

Overnight closures of the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse. Working hours of 8pm to 6am.

Spring/Summer 2024

Phases 2 and 3

Rest of main work to be completed.

Sussex Road will remain closed to the A47 throughout these phases, whilst we keep our site compound in place.

The activities being done are likely to cause some noisy periods. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience whilst we do this essential maintenance.

Closures and diversions

When full closures of the A47 are required, we will need to close the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse. Whilst the road is closed, northbound traffic will be diverted via the A1144 and the A1117. See diversion map below.

Southbound traffic will follow the same diversion but in reverse.

26 June 2023

Phase 1 work, June 2023

We’re replacing a 500m section of storm drains on the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse where local flooding can occur.

To reduce impact on the local community and avoid the summer holiday and peak tourist seasons, we will do the work in two phases.

In July, we undertook the first phase of work, doing surveys to confirm our final drainage design, as well as inspecting and jet-cleaning existing drains, and temporarily replacing any faulty drain connections.

The second phase of this work will start at the end of November 2023 for approximately four months. To make our work quicker, we will be working longer hours from 7am to 11pm (on weekdays only, weather permitting).

Phase 1

The first phase of overnight work took place between Monday 3 July and Thursday 20 July 2023 on weeknights between 8pm and 6am.

This work will involve undertaking surveys to confirm our final drainage design, as well as inspecting and jet cleaning existing drainage connections, and temporarily replacing any faulty connections ahead of phase 2.

Closures and diversions
To carry out the work safely, we will need to close the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse. Whilst the road is closed, northbound traffic will be diverted via the A1144 and the A1117. Southbound traffic will follow the same diversion but in reverse. See diversion map below.

Phase 2

Our work will stop over the summer and will start again in the autumn for approximately four months.

We expect most of this work to be carried out during the day, with some occasional overnight closures needed for certain work.

Diversion map
Meet the team on 7 July 2023

Come along to meet the project team at our free public drop-in information event on Friday 7 July 2023, between 10.00am and 3.00pm at Triangle Market, Lowestoft, NR32 1QA.

We'll provide detailed information about the planned work and listen to any comments you may have.

See more updates

Project information

We’re replacing a 500m section of storm drains on the A47 between Sussex Road and Lowestoft Lighthouse where local flooding can occur.

To reduce impact on the local community and avoid the summer holiday and peak tourist seasons, we will do the work in two phases.

In July, we undertook the first phase of work, doing surveys to confirm our final drainage design, as well as inspecting and jet-cleaning existing drains, and temporarily replacing any faulty drain connections.

The second phase of this work will start at the end of November 2023 for approximately four months. To make our work quicker, we will be working longer hours from 7am to 11pm (on weekdays only, weather permitting).

Once the work is done, the road will be able to cope better with storm water and will be less likely to flood.

In July 2023, we did the first phase of work, doing surveys to confirm our final drainage design, as well as inspecting and jet-cleaning existing drains, and temporarily replacing any faulty drain connections.

Due to other utility work in the area after Christmas, and a commitment to minimising inconvenience to the public, our main phase of work will now need to be split up, with part of the work being undertaken before Christmas, and the rest occurring in spring/summer 2024.

The main phase of the work will start Monday 20 November for approximately four weeks.

Phases of work

Diagram showing all 3 phases of work