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30km of Essex roads resurfaced since launch of Priority One programme


06/02/2025
Press Release

Highways crews have worked throughout the autumn and winter to target the worst areas of deterioration.

30km of additional roads have been resurfaced by Essex Highways since the launch of its Priority One programme.

The £25 million programme by Essex County Council began in October 2024, enabling additional crews and resources to fully resurface some of the most deteriorated roads.

Priority One is in addition to existing maintenance budgets and is the single largest investment the council has made into highways improvements.

Over 50 repairs have been completed to date, ranging from town centre junctions to stretches of rural roads.

Read more

 

Priority One

Priority One - Changing the face of Essex’s road network

We are investing an additional £25 million into maintenance projects across every district, city and borough in Essex to tackle the issues that matter to you.

Worn roads and paths, overgrown vegetation, tired signage and faded lines all impacts the look and feel of our local area and how we feel about the place we live.  

Our home, and creating a nice place to be is, for many of us, our highest priority.

Priority One is our single largest additional investment into highways maintenance, with up to 180 resurfacing schemes taking place across the county and enabling more crews to be out on our roads.

What works will be taking place?

Across our 5,000 miles of road network, our teams are out every day working to tackle critical maintenance projects, such as tackling potholes. It is important you continue to report any issues to us.

Priority One allows us to do more, focusing on road resurfacing, drain cleaning, repainting white lines, cutting back vegetation and repairing signs. Schemes will be taking place in every district and borough across the county with details below on upcoming works.

How your money is being invested into your highway network

Essex County Council is responsible for the local road network (with National Highways responsible for larger roads like the A12 and M11). We hope, in the future, to see your vehicle tax distributed back to local government so we can invest this into our roads, but this currently goes into central government funds.

So, funding for highways comes primarily from your council tax, as well as any additional funding made available by Government.

This year we have budgeted for £39 million for our annual resurfacing programme.

On top of this, we announced in February that £12 million of additional funding would be spent including £8 million for extra crews to prioritise repairs raised by local councillors and £2 million for Local Highways Panels to deliver large schemes, freeing up existing budgets for small schemes. Through strong financial management, we are now well placed to create a mid-year funding boost, with the £25 million Priority One campaign focussing on additional schemes across the county.

Recently completed re-surfacing works

In recent days, we were in Colchester, Bulmer Tye and Halstead delivering resurfacing schemes to help tackle road issues that we know frustrate you. A selection of images from these works, alongside those previously completed, can be viewed in the below slideshow.

 

Recently completed vegetation clearance works

 

Upcoming road resurfacing works

We are working to identify schemes across the county. These are at different stages, some require permits to work on the road, some require design work to be undertaken and some are ready to go. The following provides the latest on the works coming up for this week.

Scheme
Due to start on 
Woodland Avenue, Hutton 17/02/2025

B1013 Hockley Road, Rayleigh

17/02/2025

A133 Little Clacton Bypass Retail Park roundabout, Great Clacton

17/02/2025

Coggeshall Way, Halstead

20/02/2025

B1023 West Street/High Street, Tollesbury

20/02/2025

Moat Street, Gestingthorpe

21/02/2025

Walton Road roundabout, Walton

21/02/2025

A1099 Springfield Road/Bond Street, Chelmsford

23/02/2025

Works completed so far

A total of 474 vegetation clearance schemes have been carried out so far.

89 road re-surfacing schemes have also been completed through the Priority One campaign. A full list of these schemes can be seen in the table below.

Street/locationDistrict/boroughWorks carried out
Rectory Road, Little BursteadBasildonMachine Surfacing
North Hill, Little BaddowChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
B1417 Braintree Road Roundabout, Gransmore GreenUttlesfordMachine Surfacing
A104 Robin Hood RBT, LoughtonEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
A1060 Parkway, ChelmsfordChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
Cherry Orchard Way RBT, RochfordRochfordMachine Surfacing
Link Road, Canvey IslandCastle PointMachine Surfacing
A129 London Road, RayleighRochfordMachine Surfacing
Langford Road/Holloway Road, HeybridgeMaldonMachine Surfacing
Main Road, HockleyRochfordMachine Surfacing
A414 Maldon Road, DanburyChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
Regina Road/Eckersley Road, ChelmsfordChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
B184 Woodside Way Roundabout, Great DunmowUttlesfordMachine Surfacing
B1137 Colchester Road, ChelmsfordChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
B1256 Dunmow Road RoundaboutUttlesfordMachine Surfacing
B184 Walden Road, Great ChesterfordUttlesfordMachine Surfacing
Rowntree Way, Saffron WaldenSaffron WaldenMachine Surfacing
A134 Maldon Road RAB, ColchesterColchesterMachine Surfacing
Mile End RBT - A134 North Approach, ColchesterColchesterMachine Surfacing
A129 Websters Way/Eastwood Road/Daws Heath Road, RayleighRochfordMachine Surfacing
Colchester Road & Eastways, WithamBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Patching Hall Lane RAB to Broomfield Road, MelbourneChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
Kings Road, BrentwoodBrentwoodMachine Surfacing
Gardiner's Lane South, BasildonBasildonMachine Surfacing
Latchingdon Road/Cold Norton Road/Fambridge Road/Palepit Corner RBT's, Cold NortonMaldonMachine Surfacing
B1006 High Road, South BenfleetCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Wantz Road, WrittleChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
Ashlyns, PitseaBasildonMachine Surfacing
B12021 High Street, Burnham on CrouchMaldonMachine Surfacing
B172 Abridge Road, Theydon BoisEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
High Road, South BenfleetCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Rectory Road, PitseaBasildonMachine Surfacing
The Gladeway, Waltham AbbeyEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
Rectory Road, PitseaBasildonMachine Surfacing
Rookery Road, IngatestoneBrentwoodMachine Surfacing
London Road, Great NotleyBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Epping New Road, Buckhurst HillEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
Paringdon Road, HarlowHarlowMachine Surfacing
Church Street, GestingthorpeBraintreeMachine Surfacing
High Road, LaindonBasildonMachine Surfacing
Ronald Road, HalsteadBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Leigh Beck Road, Canvey IslandCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Nether Hill, GestingthorpeHarlowMachine Surfacing
Tollgate Drive, StanwayColchesterMachine Surfacing
Shernbroke Road and Maynard CourtEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
The Gore, BasildonBasildonMachine Surfacing
Stadium Way, ThundersleyCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Church Road, ThundersleyCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Wooding Grove, HarlowHarlowMachine Surfacing
Kresswell Grove, HarwichTendringMachine Surfacing
Paddock Mead, HarlowHarlowMachine Surfacing
Wheatfield Road, StanwayColchesterMachine Surfacing
Limebrook Way, MaldonMaldonMachine Surfacing
Mundon Road, MaldonMaldonMachine Surfacing
Barnhall Avenue, ColchesterColchesterMachine Surfacing
Furtherwick Road/Eastern Esplanade, Canvey IslandCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Daleside Gardens, ChigwellEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
Sladbury's Lane, Holland on SeaTendringMachine Surfacing
Broadmayne Roundabout, FryernsBasildonMachine Surfacing
Kenneth Road, ThundersleyCastle PointMachine Surfacing
A1099 Victoria Road, ChelmsfordChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
The Street, Great SalingBraintreeMachine Surfacing
B1013 Main Road, HockleyRochfordMachine Surfacing
Bridge Street, BuresBraintreeMachine Surfacing
B1013 Main Road, HawkwellRochfordMachine Surfacing
Crow Green Road/ Crow Green Lane, Pilgrims Hatch BrentwoodMachine Surfacing
Orchard Lane, Pilgrims HatchBrentwoodMachine Surfacing
Colchester Road, West MerseaColchesterMachine Surfacing
Hall Road RBT, RochfordRochfordMachine Surfacing
Station Road, Old HarlowHarlowMachine Surfacing
Hambro Hill/Hullbridge Road, RayleighRochfordMachine Surfacing
A129 London Road, BillericayBasildonMachine Surfacing
Queensmere and Parkfields Road, HadleighCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Hedingham Road, Bulmer TyeBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Heywood Way/Hunt Avenue/Eversley Way/Hilary Close, HeybridgeMaldonMachine Surfacing
Church Street, Great BaddowChelmsfordMachine Surfacing
St John's Road, Great ClactonTendringMachine Surfacing
Cranbrook Avenue, ThundersleyCastle PointMachine Surfacing
B184 Thaxted Rd, Wimbish + Elder StreetUttlesfordMachine Surfacing
Coldnailhurst Avenue, BraintreeBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Tollgate West, StanwayColchesterMachine Surfacing
Church Street, KelvedonBraintreeMachine Surfacing
Furtherwick Road, CanveyCastle PointMachine Surfacing
Church Lane, North Weald BassettEpping ForestMachine Surfacing
B1414 Fronks Road, HarwichTendringMachine Surfacing
B1256 The Street, RayneBraintreeMachine Surfacing
B1025 Mersea Road, ColchesterColchesterMachine Surfacing
B1029 The Street, ArdleighTendringMachine Surfacing
B1028 Colchester Road/Brightlingsea Rd, WivenhoeColchesterMachine Surfacing
Street/locationDistrict/boroughWorks carried out