Three-week road closure in new year as hospital roundabout work reaches milestone

A road serving the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital will be closed for three weeks in the new year to facilitate the ongoing improvement work to the main roundabout.  

Colney Lane East leading from Round House Way in Cringleford will be shut to traffic in both directions from the hospital roundabout from 6 January to 27 January. Other arms of the roundabout will remain open to allow access into the hospital, associated staff parking and other parts of Norwich Research Park via the Watton Road/Colney Lane junction but will be closed overnight from 8pm to 6am from 27 January to 31 January.  

Access to Haldane Drive and Woolhouse Way will be maintained throughout from the Round House Way end of Colney Lane.  

Alternative access to the hospital and the research park during the temporary closure will be via Hethersett Lane and Rosalind Franklin Road, which provides a direct route to the multi-storey car park and the hospital access road. Access to Norwich Research Park from Watton Road at the crossroads on Colney Lane remains open. 

Services to and from the Cringleford Bus Interchange will be diverted along the A47 and Watton Road during the road closure, with the B172 and Watton Road as a back-up route if required. 

Work on the developer-led scheme began on 6 September and is expected to be completed by early March 2025. 

Cllr Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport at Norfolk County Council, said: "We know this will lead to some delays, but people will still be able to access the hospital while the road is closed, and we would encourage them to use the alternative routes and allow more time for their journeys for the three-week period. 

"This scheme will ultimately see improved pedestrian and cycle access to the hospital and nearby research park, alongside the installation of a new Toucan crossing."  

Planning permission was granted in 2013 for the development of the Norwich Research Park and included conditions that required off-site infrastructure to enable safe and sustainable access to the park. Some of that infrastructure has already been delivered such as the roundabout on Hethersett Lane and the signalised junction at Hethersett Lane/B1108. 

Bullen Developments is leading the project with certain elements delivered in partnership with Norfolk County Council and South Norfolk Council. This partnership approach has enabled the improvements to be delivered as a single scheme, reducing disruption to road users during the work.