Transport secretary Mark Harper has green lit the £1.3bn widening of the A12 between Chelmsford and Colchester and National Highways has released new images showing what the project will look like. National Highways wants to widen the A12 between junction 19 and junction 25 (A120 interchange) in an attempt to ease congestion and cope with increasing traffic demands.
The scheme would see the current four-lane carriageway widened to six lanes, with three in each direction, and also includes the construction of two major bypasses at Rivenhall End and to the north of Kelvedon. National Highways believes the planned changes will help to take heavy goods vehicles away from minor roads and local villages while the junctions will also be upgraded to help
traffic enter and exit the A12 safely.
As part of the scheme, junction 21 will be completely remodeled and rebuilt, while junctions 22 and 24 will be moved. The existing A12 in the areas where the two new bypasses will be built, Rivenhall End and north of Kelvedon, will be converted into local roads.
A new northbound exit slip road and southbound entry slip road connecting the existing A12 and junction 25 will also be built. A further plan is to build a new wider bridge across the A12 towards Copford, improve Prince of Wales roundabout and replace Ewell Hall Chase Bridge. Noise barriers will also be
constructed in various places along the route.
National Highways is hoping the A120 Braintree to A12 scheme, if permitted, will link the A120 with the A12 at junction 23. The preferred route for the scheme was announced in 2020. The scheme will be delivered by Costain in a joint venture with a party yet to be decided, which is believed to be either
Skanska or Balfour Beatty.
Work will start this year and is expected to complete by 2028.
Around 90,000 vehicles use this section of the A12 every day, projections show motorists could save as much as 1.5 hours a week on a weekly five-day commute.
