Latest developements to the Civic Drive / Willis Round About in Ipswich

THE roundabout between Civic Drive and Princes Street is rapidly disappearing as overnight work sees the site of the former Lafayette nightclub flattened and converted into a traffic light-controlled junction.

The work is the most significant part of the £21million Travel Ipswich programme which is designed to make the town centre more accessible, especially for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

The roundabout is partially closed overnight every day this week as the work to create the new junction continues.

By yesterday half of the work was completed – Star photographer Lucy Taylor took this picture showing how the road surface has now been laid across part of the former roundabout from the top of the Willis building.

The work to resurface the junction should be completed by the middle of next week, and at that time a temporary mini-roundabout will be created to keep the traffic flowing while the new traffic lights and pedestrian crossings are installed.

That is expected to take another eight or nine weeks with the new junction due to be fully operational in the spring – it is due to be completed by April.

Work on Travel Ipswich is due to continue throughout the year – with remodelling the town’s two bus stations due to follow between March and August.

Not directly linked with the Travel Ipswich project, but linked in with the changes, is a proposal to re-model the Novotel/Grafton Way roundabouts as part of the road improvements that are being proposed as part of the project to build a new Tesco store opposite Cardinal Park.

Will Travel Ipswich improve journeys around the town? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk