Ports boost renews focus on vital plans for dual carriageway

The need to upgrade a major road across Essex has been heightened by the Government’s approval of special status for two East Coast ports.

Felixstowe and Harwich were jointly named as one of eight Freeports across the country as, in his budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak boosted their ability to attract trade and grow their operations.

His move to allow the creation of Freeport East immediately focussed attention on the A120, one of the major routes across Essex, which leads to Harwich, provides a link to Felixstowe, and has been the subject of a long-running campaign to improve it.

Highways England is currently progressing plans for a dual-carriageway upgrade of the road from Braintree to the A12.

Highways England is working to come up with a preferred route for a new dual carriageway early next year. This follows Essex County Council selecting a route between Braintree and Kelvedon as its favoured option after public consultation demonstrated four out of five people agreed there was a need to upgrade the road.

Meanwhile, local MPs, support upgrading the road, as do businesses, with more than 500 signing a petition to back investment into an upgraded A120.