The east of England is urging the Department for Transport to approve funding to upgrade the remaining portion of the A11 into a dual carriageway.

The cost of the scheme is estimated at £101 million although funding has yet to be approved for the work, which would start in 2012.

“The Highways Agency is progressing the A11 Fiveways to Thetford scheme and we are working towards publishing draft orders this summer.

Depending on the weight of objections, a public inquiry may be needed,” an agency spokesman said.

“In July 2006 the scheme was placed on the indicative list of schemes to be funded from 2009/10 to 2015/16.”

Upgrading the A11 could bring significant economic benefits worth more than £600 million to the region, said the lobbyists in a new study.

The study, which was jointly commissioned by the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Norfolk County Council and the Government Office for the East of England, evaluated the economic impacts of dualling the A11 between the Fiveways Junction and Thetford.

It showed that the scheme could generate an estimated £135 million of economic benefits, including significant productivity benefits to firms in Norwich and Thetford.

It also found that there would be a £558 million benefit resulting from time savings for road users and a £98 million saving from reduced accidents.

“This single-carriageway section of the otherwise dualled A11 is considered to be a bottleneck on the strategic network, and this study has demonstrated that over £600 million worth of economic benefits would be generated from developing the A11,” said EEDA senior transport project manager, Andy Summers.

“The recent Eddington report on transport showed that strategic and prioritised investment in the transport infrastructure, particularly at key pinch-points, can help businesses be more competitive and increase productivity.”