A127 Economic Growth Corridor

What are the problems?

The A127 is one of the busiest non-trunk roads in the country and is no longer fit for purpose.
The road is close to capacity at peak times, resulting in regular congestion and delays.

Journeys on various sections of the road typically take over twice as long during peak periods, while trips westbound between the M25 and Gallows Corner are more than four times longer during the morning rush-hour.

On some sections, such as between the Nevendon and Noak Bridge junctions, traffic exceeds 85% capacity for four or five hours a day, resulting in unreliable journey times.

Delays on the A127 increase business costs, affect supply chains and harm productivity, costing millions of pounds a year.

Congestion exacerbates environmental problems such as poor air quality and has a negative impact on road safety.

The inadequacy of the A127 also isolates communities and threatens to limit future economic growth in South Essex, as well as having a detrimental knock-on effect on the national economy.

Without significant investment, these issues will hinder the growth and prosperity of South Essex and the wider region.

A127 Task Force

A Task Force consisting of local MPs, council leaders and officers and other key partners was established in 2018 to develop a long-term vision for transport along the A127 corridor. 

It set five core objectives:

• Economic Growth: Support and facilitate sustainable economic growth along the corridor. Recognising the role that the A127 corridor plays in the South Essex economy
• Connectivity: Manage congestion and improve journey time reliability
• Environment: Improve air quality, reduce pollution and manage the impacts on surrounding communities
• Safety and Resilience: Improve safety and network resilience
• Asset Management: Effective management and maintenance of all transport assets, e.g. roads and pavements, structures, signs and safety barrier

The group has played an important role in highlighting the importance of the A127 in enabling economic growth across South Essex, as well as exploring current and future issues across the route and discussing dozens of potential improvement options.

However, it is clear the local highways authorities will never be able to fund schemes of the huge scale required. The Task Force is therefore making the case for the A127 to be re-adopted as a trunk road.

The minutes of previous A127 Task Force meetings can be found in the documents section at the bottom of this page.