Rushbrooke Lane and Low Green, in Bury St Edmunds, will become ‘no through roads’ during work to construct roundabout on A134 Sicklesmere Road

A developer has updated its traffic management plans for the upcoming works on A134 Sicklesmere Road.

Hopkins Homes said feedback from a public engagement session on February 5 and further talks with partners including Suffolk Highways have led to a change in traffic management plans - to prevent two roads becoming ‘rat-runs’.

Rushbrooke Lane and Low Green, in Bury St Edmunds, will both now become ‘no through roads’ and only accessible to residents during the work to construct a roundabout on the A134.

The developer is installing a roundabout as part of work on its Abbots Vale estate and accompanying relief road towards the A14.

A series of weekend closures is planned for Sicklesmere Road and Suffolk County Council between February 17 and May 5.

The developer says Rushbrooke Lane and Low Green, will close during the whole construction period, in ‘accordance with demands from local residents, preventing ‘rat runs’ for drivers seeking to avoid the works’.

Rushbrooke Lane will be closed from the junction of North Hill and only accessible from Rougham Hill.

Low Green will be closed at the junction with the A134 and only accessible from Nowton Road.

The developer says the changes will be closely monitored from the start of the works to assess its impact and effectiveness.

The roadworks are part of Hopkins Homes’ Abbots Vale development and the developer says are designed to ‘improve traffic flow and safety as the area continues to grow’.

The timeline and the traffic management measures for weekdays and weekends are:

Weekdays – from week beginning February 17:

Sicklesmere Road will remain open, but temporary traffic lights will be in operation. These will be carefully monitored to reduce delays.

Rushbrooke Lane and Low Green will be closed at their southern ends, accessible to two-way traffic from the north only.

Weekends – starting February 21:

The A134 will be closed to through traffic on weekends to allow critical work to proceed safely and efficiently.

Closures will be from 8pm on Fridays to 5am on Mondays on the following dates: February 21 and 24, March 7 and 10, March 21 and 24, March 28 and 31, April 4 and 7, April 11 and 14, April 25 and 28, and May 2 to May 5.

A spokesperson for Hopkins Homes said: “As a local developer, we are committed to working with and supporting the local community.

“Following feedback from the public consultation session and further discussions with Suffolk Highways, we have adjusted our traffic management plan to include ‘no through roads’ on Rushbrooke Lane and Low Green.

“We understand that these essential roadworks will cause some disruption, and we are committed to working closely with Suffolk Highways to minimise this as much as possible. We will closely monitor the impact of these changes from the start of the works.”

For ongoing updates, please visit www.hh-community.co.uk/abbotsvale, or contact the helpline at 0800 035 2874 or via email at abbotsvale@hh-community.co.uk.

Hopkins Homes says the diversion route will be clearly signposted whilst the road closure is in place and traffic flows will be continuously monitored.

It added: “If necessary, additional measures will be reviewed.”

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