Green light for the transformation of the Army and Navy junction in Chelmsford
Proposed Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package also includes walking, cycling, bus and Park and Ride improvements to encourage safer, greener and healthier travel.
Plans to transform a vital gateway in Chelmsford have taken a huge step forward after Essex County Council was conditionally awarded £69 million of Government funding.
The proposed Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package includes a hamburger roundabout (a new roundabout with a road through the centre of it) at the Army and Navy junction in Chelmsford.
It also includes bus priority measures and walking and cycling improvements at the junction itself and on the approaches to and from the roundabout.
The package will also see a 350-space expansion of Sandon Park and Ride and a 500-space expansion of Chelmer Valley Park and Ride.
Having worked closely with partners and the local community to develop the proposed package of improvements, Essex County Council submitted an outline business case for the project in October 2022.
The £81 million project will also be part funded by Essex County Council and Chelmsford City Council. It can now move forward after the Department for Transport approved the outline business case and agreed to contribute £68.75million of Major Road Network (MRN) funding, subject to certain conditions.
The funding is dependent on planning consent and other processes, as well as a full business case.
Work continued in developing the proposals further while the funding bid was being considered and planning applications are due to be submitted before the end of the year.
Councillor Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council’s Deputy to the Leader with principal accountabilities on Major Infrastructure Projects and Freeports, said: “A huge amount of hard work has gone into getting to this stage and we are absolutely delighted to have now been conditionally awarded the funding needed to deliver this truly transformational project.
“The Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package will deliver enormous benefits; improving journey times, reducing delays and supporting economic growth in the area.
“The redesign of the Army and Navy junction, alongside bus, walking and cycling, and park and ride improvements, will ensure we provide a long-term and sustainable solution at this vital gateway.
“We also need to provide better options for people to travel, especially for shorter journeys where we want walking or cycling to be the natural choice. This project will do just that, helping encourage people to travel in and around the city in safer, greener, and healthier ways.”
Vicky Ford MP, Member of Parliament for Chelmsford, said: “This is phenomenally good news for Chelmsford.
“A new junction at the Army and Navy will make a huge difference to reducing traffic jams and boosting our economy. I am over the moon.
“It will take time to deliver but we can now go full steam ahead to get planning approval, finalise engineering designs and then appoint contractors.”
Councillor Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford City Council, said: “The City Council is pleased that the Department for Transport has taken this next step for the Army and Navy project. The City Council believes that it is vital that the project addresses traffic issues and sustainable transport connections (including cycle paths) across Chelmsford, not just at this major junction.”
Based on the current programme, construction is scheduled to start in Spring 2025 and be completed in 2028. This will be subject to planning approval and acquiring the required land.
Construction will be carefully sequenced to minimise disruption, with early expansion of Sandon Park and Ride to meet the anticipated increase in demand during works at the Army and Navy junction and provide an alternative means of travel into the city centre.
For more information about the Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package and to sign up for the project e-newsletter, please visit www.essex.gov.uk/armyandnavy.