Essex County Council has agreed to submit an outline business case to the Department for Transport for funding of £67 million. The funding is for the proposed Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package. This is the next stage of the bidding process for Major Road Network (MRN) funding.
The decision was made by Cllr Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council, having originally been due to be agreed at a meeting of the council’s Cabinet, and is subject to a call-in period. The council did not hold any public meetings last week, including the meeting of our Cabinet, in respect for the official mourning period of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
The proposed package of improvements includes a hamburger roundabout - a new roundabout with a road through the centre of it - at the Army and Navy junction. It also features improved sustainable and active travel provision at the junction. This includes bus priority measures and walking and cycling improvements at the junction itself, as well as on the approaches to and from the roundabout. A 350-space expansion of Sandon Park and Ride and a 500-space expansion of Chelmer Valley Park and Ride are also planned.
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The £80 million project, which will also be part funded partly by us and Chelmsford City Council, is progressing well. Latest site investigation surveys are currently taking place to help inform the next stage of design work.
Based on the current programme, planning applications are expected to be submitted next year and construction is scheduled to start in early 2025.
Cllr Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, said: "We need to provide better options for people to travel sustainably, especially for shorter journeys where we want walking or cycling to be the natural choice.
"The Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package is an unmissable opportunity to do just that, encouraging people to travel in and around the city in safer, greener, and healthier ways.
"The redesign of the Army and Navy junction, alongside walking, cycling and park and ride improvements, will provide a long-term and sustainable solution at this vital gateway and improve journeys for everyone.
"A lot of hard work has gone into reaching this stage and preparing the detailed evidence needed to support our funding bid and I am pleased we now have agreement to submit our outline business case for the project."
