‘Significant’ congestion expected as part of A12 in Essex closes

The northbound A12 around Colchester will be closed between Marks Tey and Stanway over the weekend

Road users are being warned of "significant congestion" as part of the A12 closes for resurfacing work.

The northbound carriageway around Colchester, Essex, will be shut from junction 25 for Marks Tey to junction 26 for Stanway.

The closures were planned to start at 21:00 BST on Friday and finish at 05:00 on Monday.

National Highways said the work was "much needed" and would provide "real long term benefits".

The work is part of a £37m project to remove the old concrete surface and replace it with a new asphalt finish, which National Highways said would "make journeys smoother, quieter, and safer."

Niamh Farrell, National Highways assistant project manager for the scheme, said: "The time it takes for the foundations and the new road surface to fully dry means we can only carry out this work over a weekend."

'Frustrating'

Diversions will be in place for northbound traffic, via the B1408 and A1124 and re-joining the A12 at junction 26.

The southbound side of the carriageway will remain open.

National Highways said it had put signs around the local area and connecting routes as far as the M25 and M11, and had sent letters out to businesses and local residents.

Ms Farrell said: "I understand this is frustrating, but anyone who regularly drives on the A12 will know this work is much needed.

"We carefully plan all our closures to try and limit inconvenience as much as we can, but sometimes it's simply not possible to carry out the work that's needed without an impact on local roads and surrounding routes."

Drivers are being urged to avoid the area if possible, or to allow extra time for their journeys.