Roundabout project on A134 Sicklesmere Road, near Bury St Edmunds, reaches finish line
Temporary traffic lights on a town’s key road have been removed after a controversial roundabout project is believed to be completed.
After months of disruption and eight weekend closures, temporary traffic lights north of the new roundabout on the A134 Sicklesmere Road near Bury St Edmunds have been removed as developers Hopkins Homes reach the anticipated completion date.
According to motorists, though the lights have been removed, there is another set of temporary traffic lights on the road at the Southgate Green roundabout — meaning the road is still not fully open.
While the housing developer has not confirmed whether the roundabout project has been officially completed today as planned, it recently said the works were progressing ‘on schedule’.
The project, which began in February, received strong criticism from residents after Suffolk Highways placed a 43-mile official diversion route during construction.
Concerns were also raised about increased rat-running through nearby villages, delays to emergency services due to temporary traffic lights and disruption to businesses.
One of the hardest hit was The Friendly Loaf bakery, in Nowton, where the owner previously told SuffolkNews he feared closure after a significant drop in trade.
Town and county councillors urged Hopkins Homes to offer goodwill payments to affected businesses.
However, despite claims that the bakery was losing around £1,000 a week due to the project, Hopkins Homes declined, saying compensation was the responsibility of Suffolk County Council under a Section 278 agreement.
Now, focus is set to shift to the next phases of the project, with Hopkins Homes and Denbury Homes set to begin work on the relief road linking the A134 to Rougham Hill, as well as improvements to the Southgate Green roundabout.
A bid by the developers to increase the number of homes occupied before completing this next stage — from 200 to 375 homes and from 550 to 675 — was withdrawn on March 19.
