A £34m revamp of a major A47 roundabout is on ice because council bosses are scared they will risk "reputational damage" if they ask the government to fund the work.
Norfolk County Council has paused its plans to seek money to upgrade the A47/A17 Pullover roundabout, a congestion and accident blackspot on the edge of King's Lynn.
Officials say a change in the way the Department for Transport (DfT) decides which road schemes to support means it is unlikely to get funding.
However, the decision angered many in west Norfolk and reignited accusations the Norwich-based council has a bias towards the centre and east of the region, with the west often overlooked.
Recent road projects the county council has been working on include the Norwich Western Link and the Long Stratton bypass, while Great Yarmouth's Third River Crossing recently opened.
In the west, the council has also lodged plans for the West Winch Access Road close to Lynn.
An upgrade of the Pullover roundabout had been identified as a regional priority by transport chiefs because of congestion problems and an accident rate above the national average.
A £325,000 study, funded by National Highways and money from business rates, took place last summer to evaluate ways to improve the junction.
It recommended a new single-carriageway flyover, taking east-west traffic over the roundabout, and was endorsed by County Hall and West Norfolk Council.
However, the DfT has since changed its traffic modelling criteria, which means the scheme's value-for-money rating is now rated as 'low'.
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So the authority has decided not to risk its reputation by asking the government for cash at the moment - as it is likely to be rejected.
Council officers, in a report which will come before members of County Hall's Conservative-controlled cabinet on Monday, said: "At this ratio, it is considered to be unlikely to attract funding from DfT under the major road network programme and may cause reputational damage if we were to submit the strategic outline case.
"In view of this, that has not been submitted and the project is currently under review."
While the council has not ruled out a future submission, that will hinge on the value-for-money rating improving.
And any further development work to try to do that would have to come from the council's coffers, when the authority has just agreed £42m of cuts and savings.
Graham Plant, the council's cabinet member for highways, said: "The new traffic forecasts from the DfT have forced us to update our modelling and look at how exactly to demonstrate value for money under the DfT’s guidelines.
"But we know this scheme could have a real positive impact for King’s Lynn and for Norfolk, and will continue to work with central government to make that case and make these plans a reality."
But Liberal Democrat Rob Colwell, who represents Gaywood South, feared the area was being "forgotten".
He said: "We desperately need a bridge or flyover and slip roads to help reduce congestion and delays, and improve safety at the Pullover roundabout.
"Sadly the roundabout is well known for accidents and the A17 is often closed, causing horrendous queues and disruption.
"I’m disappointed that this area has been forgotten."
Borough councillors in west Norfolk have previously claimed those living in the area are treated as “second-class citizens” compared with those elsewhere in the county.
They argue those in the west fare worse than those further east when it comes to health provision and economic opportunities, as the county council and other organisations prioritise those living nearer Norwich.
Some have even called for west Norfolk to cut ties with the rest of the county and look for closer integration with bordering Cambridgeshire.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
The roundabout is south of King's Lynn, where the A17 diverges from the A47.
It is named after Pullover Road - the name of the A47 leading to Terrington St John and Wisbech.
But there is some debate about where the name Pullover came from. Some suggest it was because it was initially a narrow road, so vehicles often had to pull over.
Others say the name could have related to a ferry, which pulled across the river, or to a tollhouse where people had to pull over to pay.
And others speculate it could derive from a drain marked Polver which appears on old maps. Polver or pulver is a word of German origin for powder or silt.
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