Major road closures hit four Ipswich streets today

Why it matters: Four streets around the junction of Cauldwell Hall Road, St John's Road, Freehold Road and Marlborough Road will close from Monday, 22 June until Tuesday, 18 August. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout, and access for residents and businesses will be kept open – though there may be short delays while the works area is made safe.

The details: Two separate programmes of work are being delivered simultaneously:

1. Suffolk Highways will upgrade the junction to improve safety and accessibility for all road users.
2. Cadent will replace ageing metal gas mains with modern plastic pipes to ensure a reliable gas supply to local homes and businesses.

The following closures will be in place from 22 June to 18 August:

• Cauldwell Hall Road
• St John's Road (between Tolworth Road and Cauldwell Hall Road)
• Freehold Road (between Cauldwell Hall Road and Kemball Street)
• Marlborough Road (between Tolworth Road and Cauldwell Hall Road)

Cadent will also close Ringham Road and Upland Road between Monday, 29 June and Friday, 31 July.

Why not use traffic lights? Suffolk Highways says that managing the works under temporary traffic lights would have extended the programme to as long as 30 weeks. By co-ordinating the two programmes and closing the roads instead, that has been cut to eight weeks.

What they're saying: Councillor Christopher Hudson, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for transport and highways, said: "By working closely with Cadent to co-ordinate these works we are reducing the overall duration of disruption and avoiding the need for multiple closures in the future. We are grateful to residents and road users for their patience and support as we deliver these long-term improvements."

Eleanor Buxton, head of work management at Cadent, said: "The metallic pipes that are in place in this section of the network have been very well used over the years but it's time for them to be replaced so that we can continue to deliver gas to peoples' homes 24/7, 365 days a year.

"Combining two major upgrades into one set of roadworks is a big step forward for how we plan our essential gas mains upgrades. We absolutely want to do more of this whenever possible as it means less digging, fewer teams on site, shorter disruption for residents and a lower overall carbon impact."

For context: The works are funded by Active Travel England and form part of a wider package of schemes between Ipswich Hospital and The Waterfront aimed at improving safety and accessibility and encouraging more people to walk, cycle and wheel. A public consultation held in summer 2024 informed the final design.

Diversion routes: Motorists are encouraged to follow the official diversion routes and avoid using unsuitable alternative roads:

• Cauldwell Hall Road: via Woodbridge Road, Woodbridge Road East, Heath Road and Foxhall Road (and vice versa)
• Freehold Road: via Kemball Street and Foxhall Road (and vice versa)
• Marlborough Road: via Tolworth Road, St John's Road and Spring Road (and vice versa)
• St John's Road: via Spring Road (and vice versa)

What's next: Suffolk Highways and Cadent are holding a public engagement event at St John's Church Hall, 74 Cauldwell Hall Road, IP4 4QE, on Monday, 8 June from 10:30–12:30, where residents can find out more about the works. Further information is also available at one.network.

The bottom line: Eight weeks of closures is a significant disruption, but planners say joining up the two programmes has avoided what could have been more than seven months of works across the same streets.

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