A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange

Introduction

The A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange is a crucial link in our region’s road network for South Essex and is of vital importance to our sustained economic growth.

The Interchange has served us well for many years but has reached its capacity and is in need of significant improvement.

A proposed 'short-term' scheme has been developed to increase the capacity of the A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange, reduce journey times, address existing safety concerns and improve pedestrian and cycling connectivity.

The scheme, which has been developed following feedback from road users and local people, will allow the interchange to handle current and estimated future traffic levels, enabling and supporting economic growth across South Essex.

Planning consent for the scheme was granted in December 2019. The Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Roads Order were confirmed on 25th July 2023.

A construction start date for the main works will be announced once a contractor has been appointed.

What are the problems?

The A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange lies at a key point on the transport network in South Essex, forming a strategic connection between the A13, A127, A130 and A1245.
The Interchange currently experiences high levels of congestion during peak periods and high volumes of traffic at other times too.

There are also safety concerns, with significant numbers of collisions involving motor vehicles, which have been attributed to poor sightlines for drivers at some locations and to incorrect lane use.

As well as current traffic congestion and safety concerns, the Interchange is expected to come under increased pressure in future as plans for significant growth in housing and jobs is realised.

It is estimated that over 62,000 jobs will be created in South Essex by 2037, and that over 3,400 new homes per year will be needed to accommodate this new workforce.

What is our solution?

Having considered and investigated various potential options, we have now agreed a scheme to improve the A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange. The scheme includes:

A new ‘Southend Link Road’ linking the A130 southbound to a new signalised junction on the A1245, where traffic must turn right (southbound)
Widened slip roads on the eastern arms of the Fairglen Roundabout
Additional and longer slip lanes on both A127 on-slip roads
Improvements at the Rayleigh Spur Roundabout, including new traffic lights at two arms of the junction and an additional lane on the roundabout itself
An additional traffic lane southbound between Fairglen Roundabout and Rayleigh Spur Roundabout
A new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, linking to existing routes alongside the A127.

Key features of the scheme

New link road from A130 to A127 via A1245

A new link road will provide a direct route from the A130 southbound to the A1245, from where traffic can easily access the A127.
This single-lane road, which will widen to two lanes at the traffic signals, will help relieve pressure on the Rayleigh Spur Roundabout, where delays to traffic entering on the A130 southbound can be severe.
Access to the link road will be via a single-lane slip road. The link will join the A1245 via a new traffic-light-controlled junction with two right-turn-only lanes.
The link road will be one-way, with no direct route in the opposite direction from the A1245 to the A130.

Fairglen Roundabout improvements

A new dedicated left-turn lane from the A1245 to the A127 eastbound, bypassing roundabout, with new dedicated slip lane and existing slip road retained.
The slip lane for westbound traffic leaving the A127 to enter the roundabout will be expanded from two lanes to three.
There will be an additional southbound lane from Fairglen Roundabout to Rayleigh Spur Roundabout.

Rayleigh Spur Roundabout improvements

The roundabout will be enlarged with additional circulatory lanes and traffic lights on two of the three arms.
There will be new traffic lights at the A130 southbound approach to the roundabout, with the road expanded to three lanes. The existing two-lane left-only bypass would be retained, avoiding the roundabout and traffic lights.
There will be new traffic signals at the A130 northbound approach to the roundabout, with the road expanded from two lanes to three. The existing two-lane left only bypass will be retained, avoiding the roundabout and traffic lights.
The southbound A130 exit from the roundabout will be expanded from two lanes to three.
The A1245 southbound approach to the roundabout will continue to operate without traffic lights.

Improvements for walking and cycling

We will install a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists just south of the Fairglen Roundabout, which will link existing walking and cycling paths alongside the A127.
Existing cycling and walking paths, such as those around the Rayleigh Spur Roundabout, will be retained.

Public engagement

The development of the scheme was informed by a series of engagement and consultation events which the public and key stakeholders were invited to participate in.

In February 2017, we published information about our plans to improve the A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange and provided opportunities for people to find out more about the project and give us their feedback.

In April/March 2018, we then held a six-week public consultation on proposed changes to the A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange, with responses analysed and considered to help us finalise design of the scheme. Our public consultation brochure and report can be found in the documents section below.

Long-term option for Fairglen Interchange

When we publicised information about proposed A127 / A130 Fairglen Interchange improvements in February 2017, we also published a long-term option.

The long-term option could be required in the event of increased traffic as a result of higher levels of future growth but would require significant additional funding.

The short-term solution is fully compatible with the long-term option should that need to be implemented in the future.

Design of the long-term solution has not been fully developed, but an overview can be seen below.

Copyright information
Maps above are reproduced from Ordnance Survey material with the permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.100019602. 2017
Limitation: The drawings above have been prepared by Jacobs on behalf of Essex County Council for the exclusive use of Jacobs’ Client, and are subject to, and issued in accordance with, the provisions of the contract between Jacobs and the Client. Jacobs accepts no liability or responsibility whatsover for, or in respect of, any use or reliance upon, this drawing by any third party.
© Copyright 2018 Jacobs UK Ltd. The concepts and information contained above are the property of Jacobs. Use or copying of this document in whole or in part without the written permission of Jacobs constitutes an infringement of copyright