A12 Essex road widening project plans accepted by inspectorate

Work to widen the A12 near Chelmsford could begin next year

A scheme to upgrade 15 miles of the A12 in Essex has been formally registered with the Planning Inspectorate.

The project, costing up to £1.2bn, would create three lanes of traffic and replace junctions to try to ease congestion between Chelmsford and Colchester, National Highways said.

About 90,000 vehicles use this section of the A12 every day.

A six-month examination period will take place before the transport secretary makes a final decision.

Under the plans, the A12 between junction 19 (Boreham Interchange) to junction 25 (Marks Tey Interchange) - would be widened to three lanes each way.

New bypasses would be constructed at Rivenhall End, and between Kelvedon and Marks Tey (junctions 24-25).

A number of other junctions would also be changed, National Highways said.

It also said projections showed motorists could save as much as 1.5 hours a week on a weekly five-day commute.

'Significant' increase

Phil Davie, National Highways project director, said: "The scale of the work we aim to undertake will transform one of the busiest road links in the East of England, helping to save road users... a significant amount of time across their weekly commute."

However, concerns about increased traffic in the Boreham area as a result of the upgrade have previously been raised.

Bill Kyle, of the Boreham Conservation Society, said: "The main road through Boreham would incur a significant - between 25 and 50% - increase in traffic, largely due to the closure of junction 20A."

People wishing to comment on the plans can now register with the Planning Inspectorate and they have until 4 November to have their say.

The Planning Inspectorate has three months to prepare for its six-month examination of the application, after which the government will consider whether to grant final approval.

If the plans are approved, work could begin next year.