A143 at Stanton Closed for More Than Three Weeks After Heat Softens Road

Overview

• Suffolk Highways announced an urgent closure of the A143 at Stanton on Tuesday, July 7, with works now shown on One.network through Friday, July 31 and a 62-mile diversion in place.
• The carriageway softened, deformed and in places melted during a June heatwave that produced the county’s hottest day of the year and prompted an amber Met Office warning and a UKHSA red heat-health alert.
• Authorities first laid gravel and imposed a temporary 30mph limit on the damaged A143 and Suffolk County Council introduced a temporary 40mph limit on the A140 between Thornham Magna and Stoke Ash to reduce risk to road users.
• Permanent resurfacing of the A143 is scheduled for early August but Suffolk Highways says the dates remain weather-dependent and teams are carrying out daily inspections and interim treatments as needed.
• Repeated damage to the same A143 corridor since May highlights heat vulnerability of tarmac, risks longer-term disruption for commuters and freight, and raises wider concerns about infrastructure resilience during extreme summer temperatures.