Under the £1.2-billion-pound plans, the A12 between and Colchester – junctions 19 (Boreham Interchange) to 25 (Marks Tey Interchange) – will be widened to three lanes in each direction. Two major bypasses will also be constructed; one at Rivenhall End and a second between Kelvedon North to the Marks Tey Interchange (junctions 24-25).

The proposed changes to this stretch of the A12 road will:

  • improve safety for road users, especially at the junctions and slip roads through better design while also removing the current direct private accesses onto the A12
  • reduce traffic congestion by increasing the capacity of the road, making journey times more reliable. The proposed scheme will save motorists as much as 1.5 hours in a working week if they travel daily between junctions 19 and 25
  • take long-distance traffic off the local roads and put it back onto the A12 where it belongs, so that local roads aren’t used as rat runs, affecting local villages and their communities
  • ensure that the road can cope with the predicted increase in traffic from more jobs and homes in the area
  • make improvements for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and public transport users, to give them better connections and safer, more enjoyable journeys