1st June – Jack Abbott Once Again Calls for Action on Orwell Bridge and Northern Bypass

The repairs to the Orwell Bridge may be unavoidable, but the likely impacts will be amplified by a lack of an adequate alternative route, namely the Northern Bypass.

In fact, barely a week goes by where the Orwell Bridge, wider A14 and the road networks in and around don’t grind to a halt.

All this is the result of years of indecision, and the blame for this damaging situation lies squarely at the feet of the Suffolk Conservatives who have repeatedly advocated for a ‘do nothing’ approach. People in positions of leadership, but showing none.

So, yet again this summer, Ipswich and surrounding area will be asked to shoulder the burden for Conservative failure.

This latest news is yet another example of the cost of Conservative inaction. It has been five years since the Suffolk Conservatives stopped work on a Northern Bypass, and they have continued to block the only credible and deliverable solution on the table.

Ipswich, Felixstowe and, indeed, Suffolk as a whole, has suffered as a result of short-term political expediency being put ahead of the long-term interests of our town and our county.

The choice is clear: it is bypass or bust. I have made my choice: I will continue to campaign for this critical piece of infrastructure. It is time the Suffolk Conservatives make theirs.