News releases and highways newsletters

Residents invited to 'meet the contractor' event ahead of start of East Hill works

The first stage of a new walking and cycling route linking Colchester City Centre with the east of the city is set to get underway this month, with construction work beginning on East Hill. 

Residents are being invited to attend a drop-in event before the main works start on a East Hill.

Ahead of the main construction phase, contractor Octavius Infrastructure will host a drop-in event at : The Minories Art Gallery (74 High St, Colchester CO1 1UE) from 2.30pm to 6.30pm on Monday 20th July.

Pothole Emergency spurs 30% increase in road repairs across Essex

Extra funding has helped address the potholes most concerning to residents

Road repairs across Essex have increased by 30% compared with the same period last year, with more than 5,000 carriageway defects repaired during the first quarter of the financial year.

The increase follows Essex County Council’s decision to declare a Pothole Emergency, alongside this £7.5 million investment in highways maintenance during 2026/2027.

The investment has funded additional repair crews, with a dedicated team now working in each of Essex’s 12 district, borough, and city council areas, enabling more defects to be repaired across the county.

Bakers Lane / Cottis Lane, Epping – latest news

Following the recent pause of works to allow essential utility works to take place, we will be restarting our activities to complete footway and carriageway works on Bakers Lane/Cottis Lane in Epping from 13 July 2026.

East Hill - Surveys and Site Compound

Works to improve walking and cycling on East Hill in Colchester are set to get underway later this month, following the appointment of Octavius Infrastructure as the main contractor.

Following the relocation of telegraph poles, the team will be on site this week undertaking surveys and establishing the site compound for the works. To ensure the project is delivered as efficiently as possible, the compound will be located adjacent to East Hill, in an area next to Firstsite.

First phase of new A1331 Link Road completed

The first phase of a major gateway road which will help unlock thousands of new homes has opened on schedule.

The A1331 Link Road will connect the A120 and A133. It will support delivery of up to 7,500 new homes as part of the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community. 

Alongside the planned Rapid Transit System, the link road will ensure that infrastructure needed to support future growth in the area is being delivered first.

The scheme has been funded through Homes England, recognising the importance of investing in the infrastructure needed to support large-scale housing growth. 

Cabinet Members visit as work underway on latest phase of Dovercourt regeneration programme

New improvements begun this week as part of a wider transformation of the area.

Work has started on the latest phase of the Dovercourt regeneration programme, marking another major step in the transformation of the town centre.

This new phase forms part of the wider Dovercourt Capital Regeneration Programme. The programme is designed to revitalise the town, improve public spaces, and create lasting benefits for residents and visitors.

Essex County Council has appointed M Group Highways to deliver the £2.39 million Dovercourt Public Realm Scheme.

Cabinet Members from Essex County Council and Tendring District Council visited the site this week. The visit included the route from the train station, the recently refurbished Harwich Library and the neighbouring Tendring District Council schemes.

Extra pothole crews deployed as work to tackle the Essex pothole emergency gets underway

An extra £7.5 million will help address the potholes most concerning to residents.

Extra road repair crews are out in force across the county from this week as part of Essex County Council’s drive to fix more potholes.

After County Councillors declared a pothole emergency in Essex last month, the extra crews will carry out road repairs as part of the £7.5 million funding announced at the same time.

The three additional crews will join the nine already on the network tasked with fixing more potholes on the county’s 5,000-mile road network. This is the equivalent distance of driving from Chelmsford to Las Vegas.

St Botolph’s Circus Regeneration – Project Update

The regeneration of St Botolph’s Circus is a major project for the city. As an important gateway into the city centre, the works will regenerate the junction area, improving safety, accessibility and connectivity.

Following the appointment of Jackson Civil Engineering as lead contractor, work has now begun on a range of activities to support effective and efficient delivery of the scheme. These initial tasks will continue through ahead of more visible on-site activity at the junction.

A13 resurfacing improvements completed

Essex Highways completed a series of improvements along the westbound carriageway of the A13 between Pitsea Flyover and Five Bells Roundabout during May 2026.

East Hill - OpenReach works

Works to improve walking and cycling on East Hill in Colchester are set to get underway later this month, following the appointment of Octavius Infrastructure as the main contractor.

Ahead of the start of the main works, Openreach will be undertaking activity to relocate four poles on the southern side of East Hill, between Priory Street and Guildford Road. These works are scheduled to begin on 8 June and are expected to last approximately two weeks.

During this period, there will be short-term parking suspensions and temporary traffic management measures within the working areas.