A143 road

UK road routebox
road= A143
length-mi= 73
length-km= 118
direction= East - West
start= Great Yarmouth
destinations= Diss Bury St Edmunds
end= Haverhill
construction-date=
completion-date=
junctions= ukroadsmall|12
ukroadsmall|14
ukroadsmall|134
ukroadsmall|140
ukroadsmall|144
ukroadsmall|146
ukroadsmall|1088
ukroadsmall|1307 The A143 is a road that runs from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk to Haverhill in Suffolk.

For much of the route (between Yarmouth and Bury St Edmunds) the road is classified as a primary route. Over the years the road has been much improved with new by-passes opening at regular intervals. The last of these being the Broome - Ellingham bypass in March 2002.

Norfolk

Great Yarmouth to A146

The A143 begins as an off slip from the A12, just south of Great Yarmouth. The road continues in a south-westerly direction. On leaving Yarmouth there is a very short section of dual carriageway and from there the road is a strictly rural affair and there are not many straight sections.

This part of the route runs through some lovely countryside and passes many local attractions along the way. These include Fritton Lake, Caldecotte Hall and Redwings horse sanctuary. The route passes through the villages of St Olaves and Haddiscoe before joining up with the A146 at a roundabout a few miles from Beccles. During the summer months this is an area very popular with holiday makers so the road can be quite busy at times.

A146 to Diss

The road in this area has undergone major changes in the last few decades. The original route took you through the centre of many towns and villages and has now been renumbered the B1062. From the Suffolk town of Bungay until Harleston the road follows the route of the now defunct Waveney Valley Line railway and progress along this section of the road is generally quite good as there are no reduced speed limits, save for Brockdish. The road eventually intersects with the A140 Norwich to Ipswich road, just outside the Norfolk town of Diss.

Suffolk

Diss to Bury St Edmunds

Once the road leaves Diss it returns to an older route. This takes it through a number of villages on the way to Bury including Great Barton, where there has long been a campaign for a bypass. Along this section the road links up with the A1088 Thetford road. The A1088 also goes south towards the A14.

Bury St Edmunds to Haverhill

On arrival in Bury the road travels underneath the A14 and at this point the route is no longer considered primary and now becomes an ordinary A road. It then continues to wind through some nice Suffolk countryside until it links up with the A1307 at Haverhill. From here it is only a short distance to the M11 which gives easy access southwards to London and north to Cambridge.

Safety

The road has been criticised for its road safety record, especially in Suffolk, where the road has been described as consistently one of the most dangerous roads in the county. [cite news|url=http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=estonline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED17%20Sep%202007%2009%3A49%3A02%3A383|title=Call for action after 15 die on A143|publisher=Evening Star|date=17 September 2007|accessdate=2007-09-17]

Transport Links

Along the route of the A143 you pass next to or very near to a number of railway stations.

External links

* [http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/roadlists/r10/notes.php?number=A143 SABRE Roads by Ten - A143]

References