The government is expected to step in and fund the majority of the controversial Norwich Western Link road, in a significant boost for the project.
Leaders at Norfolk County Council have said they anticipate ministers will pay the entire £251m bill for the road which it originally submitted with its outline business case (OBC) earlier this year.
When the OBC for the 3.9mile road – which connects the Northern Distributor Road to the A47 – was approved, the government initially said it would only fund £213m of the cost, with County Hall to pay the rest.
Now, Kay Mason Billig the leader of Norfolk County Council has said they are anticipating the full outline cost will be covered.
However, the announcement will still leave the council needing to pay almost £23m towards the cost of the road, as the total has now risen to £273.9m due to inflation.
She said: “We are committed to providing the Norwich Western Link.
“We were anticipating only 85pc of the funding, but we have now been told we will probably get 100pc.
“We are waiting for that announcement to be made properly, although the prime minister has said that will happen.
“We need to provide that link, it’s the missing link around Norwich.
“We are one of the only cities that doesn’t have an outer ring road.
“It is the right thing to do to prevent rat running through that area, to enable our emergency services to get about faster and for people to go about their business, get their children to school and go to work.
“I cannot see any reason why we would not finish it.”
If the government does not provide the full original cost and sticks with the £213m pledge, then County Hall will have to plug a gap of more than £60m to get the road built.
That could mean the council has to borrow millions of pounds or dip into County Hall's reserves - at a time when the authority is facing making £46.2m of cuts and savings.
Ms Mason Billig’s statement came in response to a question from the Green group’s Jamie Osborn.
Mr Osborn asked if she could “confirm unequivocally” that the road would go ahead if the government only funded the 85pc originally envisioned.
The road is unlikely to open until 2029 at the earliest.
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