Cost of A13 Thurrock project nearly doubled in six years

The widening and redesign at the Orsett Cock roundabout has been completed

A major road project will cost nearly double the original estimate because of "poor procurement" and a "lack of understanding of ground conditions", councillors have been told.

The widening of the A13 in Essex was costed at £79m when work began in 2017.

The scheme has been completed but the final cost is estimated at £147m

Thurrock Council, which commissioned the project, said an independent review was needed. The local authority already has debts of about £1.3bn.

"This a lesson for everyone," said Conservative Thurrock leader Andrew Jefferies, speaking at a meeting last week.

"Make sure you can deliver a project before you start it."

The scheme involved widening two miles (3.2km) of the A13, from two lanes to three lanes, between the A128 Orsett Cock roundabout and the A1014 (The Manorway).

It also meant replacing four bridges and redesigning the roundabout.

Central government was due to cover the original £79m scheme when work started in 2017

A meeting of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) accountability board, on Friday, was told only "minor remediation" works were still needed at the site.

A report put to the board - which is made up local councillors - said there was a "failure to accurately estimate" the costs at the outset.

The original forecasting could also be blamed on "optimism bias" and the report said: "The lack of understanding of the ground conditions also resulted in significant costs."

'Prudential borrowing'

Thurrock Council carried out its own "lessons learnt" review and said there were eight "key takeaways".

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the project, the local authority said, but it concluded there should be an independent review of the project.

Central government was funding about £89m of the final cost and Thurrock Council said it would pay for the extra £58m with "prudential borrowing" - the SELEP board was told.

Thurrock has debts of about £1.3bn after a series of failed investments largely in solar farms.

Government-appointed commissioners are in charge at the council.