SHOPPERS and commuters face a summer of chaos as main Ipswich town centre routes are closed to deal with essential engineering work.

SHOPPERS and commuters face a summer of chaos as main Ipswich town centre routes are closed to deal with essential engineering work.

Most disruption will be caused by the outbound closure for a minimum of four weeks of Woodbridge Road on the one-way section between Bolton Lane and Argyle Street from tomorrow .

Inbound bus routes on Woodbridge Road will be unaffected.

From July 30, gas main repairs at the junction of Upper Brook Street and Dogs Head Street - just a year after the pipe was laid and the street scene landscaped - will mean no access is available for service and park-and-ride buses, taxis and disabled drivers.

A borough council spokesman said: “These essential repairs must be done. The council decided to carry out both sets of repairs at the same time to minimise the period of disruption. Traffic flows are lower during the summer holidays than at other times of the year.

“Hopefully, both works will be completed at roughly the same time.”

From tomorrow , a diversion for motorists will be signposted along Tuddenham Road and Colchester Road but with the bus stops opposite the former Odeon cinema out of use, passengers are being advised to board Ipswich Buses at Tower Ramparts and walk to the Old Cattle Market for services to Felixstowe, Woodbridge and Rendlesham.

Ipswich Buses routes 2, 11 and 22 will be diverted along Tuddenham Road and when Upper Brook Street is closed for three weeks, services 2, 12, 16 and 19 will not operate on the town centre gyratory.

Ipswich Buses managing director Malcolm Robson said: “The summer of major road works will cause severe disruption to our services. I would advise everybody to board our outward services at Tower Ramparts bus station.”

Meanwhile, the borough is consulting over two options for traffic flows in another town centre road to improve pedestrian and cycle access and to stop rat runs.

Option one would close Rope Walk at its junction with Grimwade Street and turning Rope Walk into one-way only from Milner Street to Dove Street. The second option would be to close Rope Walk to all traffic between Regent Street and Dove Street.