The road will be widened from two lanes in each direction to three between Chelmsford and the site of a proposed new ‘garden community’ at Marks Tey, just west of Colchester.

“The A12 is a key route connecting the east of England to London,” said Highways England’s project lead Stephen Elderkin. “With the high levels of congestion, it’s a route that Highways England and the Government are committed to improving.”

Currently, rush hour congestion is said to increase journey times by half for drivers on the route between junctions 19 and 25, and various local access points onto the road raise safety concerns.

“Our proposed improvements will increase safety and average speeds, so that someone travelling on the A12 daily can expect to save over an hour of travel time each week,” added Stephen.

The section of the project for which a preferred widening option has been confirmed is between junctions 19 and 23, and includes a new bypass at Rivenhall End.

This part of the scheme has been developed ahead of the junction 23 to 25 section while plans for the new development at Marks Tey remain under discussion. A preferred route for this section is expected to be announced in summer 2020, following a six week consultation seeking views on four options which is now open.

A statutory public consultation to get feedback on detailed designs for the full 24km route will then be held ahead of submitting an application for a Development Consent Order in 2021.

Once the new three lane section of the A12 is built, the existing road will be retained and handed over to Essex County Council for use by local traffic.

(Photograph: David Howard and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)