£170k plan to improve A47 is welcomed
Plans to spend £170,000 to improve a notorious junction close to the site of a crash last month in which two sisters died have been revealed
The Highways Agency hopes to install new signs and white lines to the Broadend junction on the A47 at Walsoken during the next financial year.
The junction is a short distance from the scene of a crash in which Sutton Bridge sisters Tamzin, 10, and seven-year-old Jessica Portor died on December 27.
The plans were welcomed by South West Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss, who said: “It is crucial that the A47 can safely handle the volume of vehicles and I will continue to lobby the Department for Transport for the road to be upgraded to a national strategic route and for full dualling to take place.”
But the scheme was branded a “waste of money” by Bridget Wall, of Downham, whose son Adam was killed in a crash on the junction in 2002.
She said: “It is not going to make any difference. If there was a roundabout, traffic lights or a speed camera then you would have a deterrent.”
However, the agency said it improved the junction in both 2007 and 2009.
Under the new plans, reactive signs will be installed on both sides, while new double white lines will indicate that no overtaking is permitted.
A spokesman said: “Safety is our top priority and we constantly monitor our network to identify any necessary improvements, and prioritise the funding we have to achieve the greatest effect. The proposed scheme is expected to take place during the 2013-14 financial year, subject to funding confirmation. It is expected to cost around £170,000.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 25 May 2013
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Temperature: 6 C to 13 C
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