Motorists frustrated yet again by knock-on effect of Orwell Bridge closure

Traffic queues around the Commercial Road junctions in Ipswich after the closure of the Orwell Bridge Archant

Ipswich was again forced to deal with the disruption caused by an Orwell Bridge closure yesterday as Storm Doris wreaked havoc across East Anglia.

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With wind speeds of up to 70mph predicted during the afternoon Highways England made the decision to shut the bridge to all traffic around 10am.

The traditional diversion in this situation takes motorists through Ipswich – and as in November, the last time the bridge was shut, it caused near-gridlock on the town’s roads.

The key routes used by the diversion – London Road, Valley Road, Colchester Road, Heath Road and Felixstowe Road – all became clogged with traffic including HGVs diverted from the A14 at the Copdock and Seven Hills interchanges.

Meanwhile other roads in Ipswich also became busier than normal as drivers tried to find alternative ways to beat the queues.

Suffolk Constabulary and Highways England both asked motorists to consider whether they needed to travel during the high winds and to avoid Ipswich if possible.

People vented their frustration and the chaos caused on social media.

Brain Ebbrell wrote: “Anyone who thinks Ipswich doesn’t need a northern bypass should go to Google Maps and look at the live traffic map to see just how far reaching the effects when the bridge is closed.”

Angie Girdler said she thought some vehicles should still have been able to use the bridge: “I used to live in Yorkshire and the Humber Bridge used to close to high sided vehicles and have a speed limit for cars.”

Janie Malone added: “Another wasted day unable to get to town to do any work. Gave up and went home. Money for the day lost.”

Across Suffolk and Essex there was more travel disruption as trees were brought down onto roads, with Suffolk’s police control room receiving hundreds of calls about weather-related issues.

One man in Colchester said he was “lucky to be alive” after a tree crashed down on his car as he drove along Ipswich Road.

Power cuts were also experienced throughout the region.

An update on the UK Power Networks website at 7.35pm said around 12,000 properties in Suffolk and just over 5,000 in Essex had no electricity.