Drivers, local people and business owners are being invited to share their views on plans to upgrade the A12 in Essex to three lanes as an eight-week consultation begins on Tuesday (22 June).
Highways England announced its preferred option for adding an extra lane to the 15 miles of the A12 between Chelmsford and Marks Tey in 2019 and 2020 as part of a billion-pound upgrade of the road.
Overall, the proposed changes to this stretch of the A12 road will include:
- improvements to junctions 19 and 25
- widening the dual carriageway from two to three lanes in each direction from Hatfield Peverel to Marks Tey
- removal of existing junctions 20a, 20b and 23
- construction of new junctions 21, 22 and 24 providing access to the A12 in both directions
- creation of two bypasses, one between junctions 22 and 23 and another between junctions 24 and junction 25
- new and improved existing walking, cycling and horse-riding routes.
This preferred route was based on factors including environmental impact, journey times, complexity, affordability, and feedback from the public and public authorities.
Stephen Elderkin, Project Director, said:
The A12 is a key route connecting London and the Port of Felixstowe, and upgrading this section to three lanes will help with economic growth of the region and keep the county connected. The upgraded road will improve safety by connecting local roads via the new junctions rather than turning directly on to the A12, and increase capacity, making journey times shorter and more reliable. The existing A12 will be kept open for local traffic, and there will be new routes and crossings for walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
We have used feedback from consultations that we carried out in 2017 and 2019 to refine our plans. We know that there is a lot of support for these improvements, and we hope everyone with an interest in this scheme will take part in this next stage consultation to help refine our plans further and deliver the best possible road improvements.
People can take part in numerous ways, and we’ll be hosting several events for them to come and talk with the team to share their thoughts and feedback. It’s important that we get it right for road users and the people who live along this vital road.
Once complete by the end of 2028, the improved A12 will reduce journey times by up to 12 minutes for the 90,000 drivers who use it daily.
This consultation takes into account earlier feedback on the proposals and now local people, drivers and business owners are being invited to share their views on the latest plans to help ensure the improvements deliver the best possible outcomes for people using and living near the road when work starts in 2023. Changes based on earlier feedback include moving the road further away from the Rivenhall Long Mortuary Enclosure scheduled monument, improving slip roads, upgrading junctions, and reducing local traffic by diverting through traffic onto the new road.
People can take part in the consultation, which runs from Tuesday 22 June to Monday 16 August, by:
There will be six public exhibitions, subject to Government Covid-19 guidelines, at which people can have their say and speak with members of the team. These will be complemented by six webinars and an ongoing virtual exhibition.
Following the consultation, plans for the new road will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in Spring 2022. Once a Development Consent Order is issued by late 2023, construction will begin.
For more information about the plans, please visit our A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme web page.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
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