By Patrick LowmanA TOWN is bracing itself for more traffic chaos after a new set of roadworks to provide an access to a multi-million-pound business park was announced.

By Patrick Lowman

A TOWN is bracing itself for more traffic chaos after a new set of roadworks to provide an access to a multi-million-pound business park was announced.

Although Sudbury Town Council was aware the work on the town's A134, was planned it was only given the timetable last Thursday just three days before the scheme started.

The new scheme will include entrances and exits for the new retail park on the Shawlands site - due to open by December - which will include a drive-through Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, Halfords and Carpetright stores and a tile specialist unit.

Other work will include road widening, junction improvements and the realignment of two sewers.

Deputy town clerk Ian Clark said: “Although we knew the work was planned, we weren't given a timetable and was only told the details on Thursday.

“As far as we are aware the work, was not advertised. Now we have the information we are in a position to deal with public inquiries.”

Town and county councillor, Nick Irwin, added: “This whole scheme concerns me, it will cause yet more inevitable delays and disruption.

“I am also concerned if these plans were not advertised and that prior notice was not given to the general public.”

Temporary traffic lights have already been installed on Newton Road, but the major disruptions will start next week and continue until the end of November.

On Sunday, part of Newton Road will be closed for resurfacing and traffic coming into Sudbury will be diverted along Northern Road and Waldingfield Road to access the town centre.

The bulk of the work will take place between September 9 and October 19 when the road will be closed from Shawlands site to the roundabout.

Traffic coming into the town will be diverted around a slip road off Newton Road to get onto Northern Road, while part of Northern Road will become a one-way system for traffic heading out of town.

Access onto the roundabout from Great Cornard will also be closed, so motorists travelling out of the village will have to go through Cornard Tye to get to onto the A134.

They will also have to find alternative routes to get into Sudbury and will have to travel through the town centre to head towards Bury St Edmunds.

From October 20 to November 30 the one-way system in Northern Road should be taken away, but road closures will remain and a three-way traffic light system will be introduced.

The town has just been getting back to normality following months of disruptions, delays and diversions which have plagued the road network.

Motorists faced major delays for 18 months when a temporary one-way system was put in place while the new £2.4million Ballingdon Bridge was being built.

Prior to bridge scheme, Anglia Water carried out a £4m sewer replacement scheme and at the same time Suffolk County Council carried out a lengthy resurfacing project between Newton Green and Sudbury, both of which caused major traffic problems.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said: “The county council has worked with developer, Parkridge Developments Limited, their agents and contractors to avoid full road closures.

“Traffic disruption on a project of this scale is unfortunately inevitable and we are doing our best to reduce the impact of the construction work on motorists in Sudbury.”

patrick.lowman@eadt.co.uk