Highways investment boost as first ‘Priority One’ schemes underway

Road surfacing works in Chelmsford, Rochford, Colchester, Braintree, Maldon, Castle Point and Epping Forest have all been undertaken following the launch of Essex County Council’s £25 million Priority One campaign.

Twenty-one new road surfacing schemes have been undertaken in the first weeks of Essex County Council’s £25 million Priority One campaign.

Announced in August, the Priority One investment will see additional crews and resources pumped into highways maintenance across the county. Crews will tackle road surfacing, vegetation clearance, drainage, signs and lining.

The funding is in addition to existing maintenance budgets and is the single largest investment into improving our highways Essex County Council has ever made.

Councillor Mark Platt, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council and lead for the Priority One project, said: “I want to send a really clear message to Essex residents that we are listening, and we understand the importance of feeling proud about the places we live. How our local area looks and feels matters and this campaign is called Priority One, because we recognise our road network is central to our local environment, and this impacts us all.  

“We have made a fantastic start with additional resurfacing works taking place across the county. We will this week be working overnight in Chelmsford and Rochford on two key roads, with works in Harlow and Tendring to follow. Over the coming weeks and months, we be announcing further works, with teams out in every borough, district and city area helping to make travel in Essex safer, greener and healthier."

The £25 million investment comes after £12 million of extra investment was announced earlier this year for highways. £8 million of this supports the Members’ Highways Initiative, where County Council Members prioritise the issues they want Essex Highways crews to repair. A separate £39 million was also set aside this year for the county's annual resurfacing programme.

For more information on the Priority One campaign, visit www.essexhighways.org/priority-one.