Residents are being invited to submit their views on plans to widen the A12 road in Essex.

The scheme is part of a £15 billion investment programme by the Government in England's motorways and major A roads.

A consultation has been launched today, 23 January, on four options for the project;

• Option 1 – widening the existing A12 corridor

• Option 2 – widening the existing A12 corridor between junctions 19 to 22 and 23 to 24 and two new bypasses between junctions 22 and 23 (Rivenhall) and between junctions 24 and 25 (Marks Tey)


• Option 3 – a variation of option 2 with only one new bypass between junctions 22 and 23 (Rivenhall)

• Option 4 – a variation of option 2 with only one new bypass between junctions 24 and 25 (Marks Tey)

A total of seven public exhibitions will be held at venues along the A12 route between Chelmsford and Colchester.

Highways England programme leader Richard Hofton said: "Deciding how best to plan and carry out improvements along the A12 is vitally important and we've been working hard to identify a range of possible solutions to take forward.

"There are important choices to be made and we are keen to get as many views as we can, so I encourage anyone who would like to find out more to check out the consultation materials online or come and see us at one of our public exhibitions."

(LM)