Part of the A11 will be closed in both directions overnight for 15 weeks as the project to improve the road moves into its final phase.

From 8pm until 6am every day, the stretch of road between the Ellingham junction in Attleborough and the A1075 roundabout at Thetford will be closed to all traffic.

It starts from Monday, March 15, and will run until late June.

Highways England said: "We will be doing extensive resurfacing work on this stretch of road so that motorists and the community can enjoy a better road surface, and so that we can make efficiencies by doing all the resurfacing work in one go.

"That way, we won’t have to close the road again for resurfacing repairs for a number of years."

A 40mph speed limit will also be in place either side of the closed section of the A11, between the Croxton Road junction and the Thetford Road roundabout in the south, and from the Besthorpe interchange to the Ellingham Road interchange further north.

It means anyone wanting to travel from Thetford to Norwich or Wymondham – and vice versa – will need to head along the A1066 to Scole, before travelling north along the A140.

Wymondham & Attleborough Mercury: The lengthy diversion route along the A1066 and the A140 to get to Norwich from Thetford as a result of the overnight closures on the A11.The lengthy diversion route along the A1066 and the A140 to get to Norwich from Thetford as a result of the overnight closures on the A11. (Image: Highways England)

The Snetterton Industrial Park will remain open for lorries, but they will have to use a special diversion.

Southbound HGVs and vehicles over 4.7 metres/15.6ft will be diverted from Thickthorn Junction via the A47/Norwich Southern Bypass and follow the A140 and A143, before joining the A14 at junction 38.

Northbound traffic will follow the same route but in reverse.

It comes after three consecutive nights of similar closures at a specific site on the road, in order to install new signs.

Highways England said they had to close the road to put in the new signs specified by Natural England within a site of scientific interest to the south of the Larling junction.

Those overnight closures ran from Thursday to Sunday last week, though contraflow roadworks will remain in place until Saturday, March 20.

A notice said: "The signs needed to be put in before the breeding season for rare species of birds, including stone curlews that are native to this part of the region."