A MOTORIST was killed after another horrific crash on the A14 which plunged rush hour traffic into chaos last night.Emergency services were forced to close the eastbound carriageway of the A14 at Sproughton for more than six hours after the accident, which involved a van and an articulated lorry.
By Danielle Nuttall
A MOTORIST was killed after another horrific crash on the A14 which plunged rush hour traffic into chaos last night.
Emergency services were forced to close the eastbound carriageway of the A14 at Sproughton for more than six hours after the accident, which involved a van and an articulated lorry.
The crash happened at 2.15pm at Sproughton following a morning of heavy snow showers, sleet and rain.
Police said the van driver was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known whether the lorry driver sustained injuries.
Officers were trying to contact the man's next of kin last night and will not reveal any further information until formal identification has taken place.
The accident caused major tailbacks as traffic had to be diverted off the A14 at Claydon and onto the B1113, A1071 and A12/14 at Copdock.
A spokesman for Suffolk Constabulary said: “There is a diversion in place which is flowing but obviously there will be substantial congestion around the rush hour time.”
He added the road was likely to remain closed for between three and four hours.
Earlier this year, business leaders urged planners to reconsider a northern bypass in Ipswich following the closure once again of the A14 for the fourth time in a month.
Heavy snowfall and treacherous road conditions in February caused several lorries to jack-knife along the busy dual carriageway, forcing police to close the Orwell Bridge during morning rush hour and divert traffic onto minor roads. This inevitably led to two-hour traffic jams into the centre of Ipswich.
The disruption sparked calls for council bosses to revisit proposals for a northern bypass in Ipswich, which would run from Martlesham through to the A140/A14 junction at Beacon Hill.
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