Hopes that the full length of the A47 might be dualled have been dealt a blow by a new National Highways report which says it is likely to focus on "smaller" schemes.
The report has been drawn up to help ministers decide what road projects to fund between 2025 and 2030.
Business groups and politicians from across East Anglia are campaigning for full dualling of the A47, to remove all remaining stretches of single carriageway.
But the National Highways report says that for the rest of the decade, it intends to focus on "schemes which we have already committed to deliver".
It adds: "We propose that any new enhancements schemes would have a greater focus on smaller interventions to spread opportunity, tackle known safety and congestion issues and enable growth."
The report does acknowledge the importance of the A47, the main east-west route through the region. And a separate report for the east of England highlights the need for improvements to ease congestion, make the road safer and improve connections to ports.
But it has prompted concern from local leaders that a full dualling remains a long way off and that the route may miss out on significant money in the next round of road investment.
Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council's cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport and chairman of the A47 Alliance, said: "We are not going to surrender on this.
"The A47 is a priority for Norfolk and for the people who live, work and do business here. It has got to be improved.
"We are going to continue to push for the full dualling, while our immediate priorities for Norfolk are for the Acle Straight and Tilney to East Winch.
"We're pushing for an end-to-end dualling project, because there are stretches between towns where it would be difficult to make the business case as a standalone project.
"I don't have a problem with it happening in sections and we'd accept safety improvements, but we need to keep the pressure on for the entire road to be dualled."
Nova Fairbank, chief executive of Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, said: "The full dualling of the A47 is a 'must have' for Norfolk Chambers and the wider business community, in order to deliver greater economic growth and jobs in this region.
"To date, 53pc of the A47 route is still single carriageway, as a predominantly rural county, and with no motorways, our road infrastructure is without doubt, vital.
"A fully dualled A47 would lead to improved journey times, would make the route safer, attract new business and inward investment, as well as supporting growth in housing, jobs and our significant tourism economy.
"In an age where climate change is at the top of the agenda, developing more road infrastructure is not always the answer.
"However, Norfolk has lagged behind many other areas in the UK on infrastructure –further improvements to the A47 are needed to ensure our county continues to contribute to UK PLC, supports economic growth, and creates prosperity and jobs."
Mr Plant has previously expressed frustration at how long it has taken for National Highways to start work on the Norfolk A47 schemes, which were awarded £300m in 2014.
The three biggest Norfolk projects - the revamp of Thickthorn junction, plus dualling from Easton to North Tuddenham and from Blofield to North Burlingham - were only granted development consent last year.
READ MORE: Norfolk A47 dualling decisions in hands of High Court judge
Work has yet to start and their future still remains uncertain, after climate activist Andrew Boswell, a former Green city and county councillor, took the matter to the High Court.
His lawyers argued the decisions by transport secretaries were unlawful because the cumulative carbon impact of all the A47 projects had not been properly considered.
Government barristers insisted the process was lawful and a ruling by Mrs Justice Thornton is awaited.
ANALYSIS: END OF THE ROAD SEEMS FAR OFF
We are fast approaching a decade since David Cameron, then the country's prime minister, announced that £300m would be spent on major changes to the A47 in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
In a county which had long (and justifiably) felt hard done by when it comes to government money for its major A-roads, the 2014 announcement was warmly welcomed.
Mr Cameron said work would start by 2023 and joked he would come and get the spades in the ground himself. Many will feel that joke rings rather hollow now, with work yet to begin on any of the schemes.
The High Court action by climate campaigner and former Green councillor Andrew Boswell has brought the latest delay.
But, even before that it often felt like National Highways was moving at a glacial pace - that Norfolk simply was not a priority for the organisation.
And now, there are ominous signs that, when it comes to the government's decision over where the next round of road investment is targeted, Norfolk might not get what it wants.
A report by National Highways does acknowledge the importance of the A47. It highlights the need to ease congestion, to improve safety and to better connect ports.
But the report - which will help inform the government's thinking over where millions of pounds is spent - makes various statements which would seem to be incompatible with the desire of business and council leaders to get all of the A47 dualled.
It talks about how the majority of spending between 2025 and 2030 will be on existing schemes and on smaller projects of up to £25m.
While safety improvements to the A47 would be welcome, these piecemeal projects will not bring the complete dualling of the A47 which campaigners want.
They are realistic enough to know the government will never bankroll the full dualling in one fell swoop. But they would surely hope for more than just some tinkering here and there.
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