How do you solve a problem like the Orwell Bridge?

Relieving a "pinch point" that carries one of England's busiest thoroughfares will be "absolutely critical", according to local businesses.

Opened in 1982, the A14 Orwell Bridge south of Ipswich connects the Port of Felixstowe with the rest of the UK by road. Regular closures, especially in high winds or traffic issues, can paralyse the network.

Suffolk County Council wants to spend £300,000 of Local Transport Grant funding looking again at improvements, with six options, including a new crossing or a tunnel, on the table.

What do Suffolk's political and business voices say?

Jules Shorrock, independent business owner and vice chair of the Suffolk Business Women Board, believes the money is a "drop in the ocean" if it means finding a suitable solution.

"It's a disaster zone, isn't it? You can't plan your business, how you're going to operate or your schedule, because of the Orwell Bridge and the A14," she says.

"The bridge is such a difficult pinch point that it creates absolute havoc and chaos and misery, and we do deserve more, so I'm glad the council is looking into it again."

"We're in a fantastic place - we've got lots of people who want to come here and our education is first rate," adds Shorrock.

"But the bridge is a deterrent for tourists and for businesses investing in us and so it has to be resolved.

"This is so important for our business community, our residents, and everybody in Suffolk – it has got to happen because it is critical to the county's success."

The request to explore alternatives – which could take 10 years or more to realise - comes as part of the council's Pre-Strategic Outline Business Case (PSOBC).

If approved by cabinet, the case would see the council refresh its research and data around what can be done to solve the issue, presenting its findings by Spring 2027.

Using the latest traffic modelling, updated forecasts, incident data, environmental constraints and cost estimates, the PSOBC will examine six traffic options, including replacing the bridge altogether, assessing local public transport needs - and a northern bypass for Ipswich.

In February 2020, divisive plans to build a northern bypass to ease congestion in Ipswich and the surrounding areas were shelved, lacking unified political support.

The project was revived in July 2025, when a Conservative-amended Labour councillor's motion received cross-party support at the council.

However, the authority is now run by Reform UK, which wants to start from scratch.

The council said the cost of any of the options could be anywhere between £500m and more than £1bn, and government sponsorship and investment would be essential.

Reform UK's Christopher Hudson, cabinet member for transport and highways, said the issue was not just a local concern but a "matter of national importance".

He added that "fully assessing the evidence" was vital in developing a "resilient and credible case for investment to present to the government".

But Martin Cook, leader of the Labour group, who favours a northern bypass, accused the authority of wasting time.

"Reform are happy to spend the rest of their term redoing work on options that the [previous Conservative] council finished in 2020," he said.

"Councillor Hudson says the danger is moving too quickly. Nobody sitting in Ipswich's endless jams recognises that danger."

Andrew Stringer, Green Party councillor and leader of the opposition, believes improving the Hawley and Ely Rail Junction could help the issue.

He says it would "relieve 98,000 lorry movements a year from the A14", at a time when the council forecasts an increase in freight transport.

"It's not about favouring the rail option - this option has been ready for years, so the government should have been lobbied to make sure that got done," he says.

"I'm happy they're raising the issue, but we could have actually made some progress on this without having to spend £300,000 on a new set of reports and documents."

Jack Abbott, Labour MP for Ipswich, previously said residents had been "led to believe" the new-look authority would "finally be putting a proposal on the table".

"But that now appears to have been another delaying tactic, and they will now be carrying out further analysis for a further six months," he said.

Patrick Spencer, Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, also questioned the need for further surveys.

"The test for Reform is not whether it can commission another report, but whether it can produce a deliverable plan and explain to residents how it will be paid for," he said.

Cabinet members will vote on the plan on 17 September.

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