News releases and highways newsletters

Temporary closure of Petersfield Bridge on Valley Bridge in Chelmsford

From Monday 5 August 2024 for up to two weeks, Petersfield Bridge located on Valley Bridge in Chelmsford, will undergo essential maintenance which will extend the life of the structure.

Plans are in place to remove and replace the existing movement expansion joints that are currently in a poor condition.

Extra highways crews ready to repair highways across Essex

Essex Highways is working with Members across the county to prioritise repairs

More road and pavement repairs are being carried out thanks to Essex County Councillors working with Essex Highways to identify issues in their divisions.

The Members’ Highways Initiative is funded by £8 million of the £12 million announced for highways repairs in February. The £12 million has been allocated across different areas of work, including additional highway crews for each borough, city and district to prioritise repairs raised by local Members and residents.

Each Member has a crew allocated to them for a week every eight weeks. This is in addition to the work Essex Highways already carries out to repair and maintain the county’s highways, including the £39 million resurfacing programme. 

Funding bid submitted for A127 improvements package

Proposals include straightening the Fortune of War junction, an additional eastbound lane, and a series of walking, cycling and bus improvement measures.

Plans to redesign a key junction on the A127 as part of a package to help reduce congestion and improve journey times have moved a step forward after Essex County Council submitted a multi-million pound funding bid.

The council has submitted a Strategic Outline Case to the Department for Transport. This is for a proposed package of improvements on the A127 – the next stage of the bidding process for Major Road Network (MRN) funding.

The proposed improvements include realigning the carriageway at the Fortune of War junction. They would also see an additional eastbound lane created between the Halfway House and Dunton junctions.

Updates to 'Tell us' and 'Track it'.

We’ve noticed a lot of enquiries reported to Essex Highways are about issues we already know about. We've introduced some updates to the way issues can be reported and tracked to reduce the number of duplications and make the 'Tell us' and 'Track It' tools easier for you to use.

Where possible we now include a photo of a defect that has already been reported to us and inspected. This means you can check on the pop up message on the map if it’s the same defect you wish to tell us about or not. You can also sign up to updates about a defect rather than raising a new enquiry about something we already know about. Again, you can do this by checking on the map and clicking on the pop up message.

Finally, there’s now an option for you to tell us if some defects have got worse. This is another option on the pop up messages, and to tell us you’ll need to supply a photo that inspectors can then assess.

We hope these updates help make it easier to sign up for alerts on defects we already know about. Not only will this help you, but it will help us target our inspections to where they are needed the most.

Essex County Council partners with Clear Channel UK for innovative bus shelter contract

New contract will see Clear Channel UK revive roadside bus infrastructure in the county.

Bus shelters across Essex will be upgraded thanks to a new contract designed to create a bus shelter network that is fit for the future.

Following a competitive tender process, Essex County Council has entered into a 10-year partnership with Clear Channel UK for the maintenance, install and upkeep of shelters across the county.

The council will invest £3 million in year one of the contract to buy new bus shelters from Clear Channel.

The programme will begin from late August with the initial focus on shelters where a request has been on hold for several years or managed by a previous supplier.

Ashingdon Road, Rochford works update

The main work phases on this project, undertaken by the developer, have been completed with minor works remaining including the commissioning of the Toucan crossing and final road safety audit.

Springfield Road / Navigation Road, Chelmsford progress update

Following the recent closures of Springfield Road and Navigation Road in Chelmsford we can confirm that the works undertaken by the developer are substantially complete. 

Traffic signals commissioned and right turns now open at M11 J8

With snagging works on the M11 Junction 8 Scheme nearing completion, we have now been able to commission the new signals and remove elements of the traffic management.

This means that the junction is now fully operational, and traffic can turn right at the junction from Dunmow Road and Birchanger Lane.

Reminder to have your say on new strategy aiming to help encourage more cycling in Essex

Public consultation on Essex Cycling Strategy closes next week.

Residents and businesses in Essex are being reminded to have their say on a new strategy aiming to help make cycling an easier and more attractive option across the county.

Essex County Council’s public consultation on its new draft Essex Cycling Strategy closes on Sunday 7 July.

The strategy forms part of the council’s wider plans to encourage Safer, Greener and Healthier travel. It sets out a simple vision – to see more people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds cycling in Essex more safely and more frequently.

Road closure Mill Road junction with Northern Approach Road

To enable the installation of ducting for the new traffic signals being installed at this location, the junction of Mill Road and Northern Approach Road will be closed between 7pm and 6am, weekdays from the 1st to the 12th of July. This closure will not be in place on 4th July, and the junction will be open as usual on this day.

Part of the diversion route (set out in the image) includes Nayland Road where the restriction for the bus gate will be temporarily suspended whilst the closure is in operation.

For further information on this closure, and other upcoming works, please see the document titled 'RTS weekly lookahead, 01/07/2024' in this page's documents section. Read full story