Major hamburger roundabout plan gets green light

Chelmsford's Army and Navy junction is to be remodelled into a roundabout with a road through it, known as a "hamburger" roundabout

Plans for an £81m transport project which include building a so-called hamburger roundabout have been approved.

Essex County Council says 70,000 vehicles use the Army and Navy junction in Chelmsford each day.

The Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package also includes priority measures for cyclists and buses at the junction.

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the project at an earlier meeting.

The existing junction would be replaced with several lanes that run through the roundabout - known as a hamburger style.

The project also includes plans to expand the Sandon park and ride from 1,300 spaces to 1,680, and to add 90 more electric vehicle charging points at the Chelmer Valley park and ride.

The Army and Navy flyover was built as a temporary measure in the 1970s, but lasted until 2020

Chelmsford City Council and Essex County Council are both part-funding the project.

The local authorities hoped work would start in 2027 and be completed in 2029.

The roundabout was built in 1932 when the original Chelmsford bypass was created, and it became synonymous with the namesake pub on the corner - the Army and Navy.

A flyover was built over the junction in 1978 as a temporary solution to congestion issues, but was not demolished until 2020 due to structural defects.

Speaking last week in advance of the meeting, Essex County Council's Conservative deputy leader Lesley Wagland OBE said the project would reduce traffic delays.

"It will also help provide better options for people to travel in and around the city, especially for shorter journeys where we want walking or cycling to be the natural choice," she said.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, Marie Goldman, pointed out the project still needed funding from the government.

Also speaking last week, she described it as a major junction in the "heart" of the city.