Three weeks of disruption on A47 as diseased trees are cut down

Temporary traffic lights will be in place along the A47 while National Highways cuts down a number of diseased trees.The Government agency is carrying out the “essential landscaping work” at Lynn, as well as between Swaffham and Dereham. The programme starts this month.Crews will be cutting down and removing diseased trees suffering from ash dieback disease, before replanting new trees of other native species which have been “carefully chosen to ensure local habitats flourish”.

National Highways plans to complete the first phase over three weeks between Monday, October 21 and Tuesday, November 12, weather permitting.Its teams will work between 8pm and 6am on weeknights on the following dates:• Monday, October 21 to Thursday, October 24, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 westbound near Dereham

• Thursday, October 24 to Tuesday, October 29, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 westbound near Scarning • Tuesday, October 29 to Thursday, October 31, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 eastbound near Wendling• Thursday, October 31 to Friday, November 1, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 eastbound near Little Fransham • Friday, November 1 to Saturday, November 2, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 eastbound between Necton and Little Fransham• Monday, November 4 to Wednesday, November 6, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 westbound near Necton• Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8, temporary traffic lights eastbound near Swaffham • Friday, November 8 to Saturday, November 9, temporary two-way traffic lights A47 westbound west of Pullover roundabout at Lynn• Monday, November 11 to Tuesday, November 12, temporary two-way traffic lights westbound east of Shoreboat roundabout.A National Highways statement says: “Please allow extra time for your journey if you are travelling on the A47 during these dates and times. We apologise for the inconvenience and delay to your journey.“There may also be some noise disruption, and we would like to apologise for this too. We do appreciate your patience whilst we carry out this essential work. “Please remember that closures can change at short notice. You can check the latest information on our daily closures page or find live travel information on our Traffic England website. Our travel alerts give details of live incidents on our network.”It adds: “There are nine sites in total on the A47 where we’ll be removing diseased trees. Seven are between Swaffham and Dereham, and two are just west of King’s Lynn.“We’ll do the work in phases. The first phase will include vegetation clearing and tree felling and thinning of affected trees.“To carry out the work safely, we will be using temporary traffic lights to manage the flow of traffic. This means no road closures or diversions are needed. We will have temporary two-way traffic lights, except where other roads are joining the A47 at Swaffham. “The trees are infected by the fungal disease known as ash dieback. This disease causes the deterioration and death in ash trees.“Management of the disease is a crucial part of our maintenance and helps to control and reduce the spread of the disease to other trees along the A47. If the infected and dead trees are not removed, they will pose a safety hazard to road users.”