Roads minister Simon Lightwood MP has confirmed the A120 Braintree to A12 scheme has been dropped entirely from the government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS3).
The decision, set out in a letter from roads minister Simon Lightwood to Braintree MP Sir James Cleverly, removes the long‑discussed project from the official pipeline of national road schemes between 2026/27 and 2030/31 – and it is “highly unlikely” to get future funding, says the Braintree and Witham Times.
The A120 link had been in the pipeline under the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), with local leaders repeatedly pressing for a full dualling between Braintree and the A12 at Marks Tey to tackle congestion, safety concerns and unlock economic growth.
In his letter, Mr Lightwood said RIS2 “included a long, unaffordable and undeliverable pipeline of schemes, and it is in no one’s interest for time and money to be spent working up schemes for which there is highly unlikely to be future funding”.
RIS3, sets out how ministers intend to spend money on England’s motorways and major A‑roads from 2026/27 to 2030/31. More than half of that funding will go on day‑to‑day operations, maintenance and renewals, such as resurfacing and protecting bridges and tunnels.
In his letter, Mr Lightwood pointed to what he described as significant investment elsewhere in the East of England over several RIS periods, including renewing sections of the A12 and a package of improvements on the A47.
He insisted Braintree‑area residents would still “feel the impact of the wider regional benefits” of that spending, even without a major A120 upgrade on the books.
“This particular scheme [the A120] was withdrawn due to affordability and deliverability challenges,” he wrote. “The RIS pipeline has been slimmed down to focus on a smaller and more deliverable package of schemes.
“While I appreciate that this may come as a disappointment to your constituents, they will feel the impact of the wider regional benefits from investment in the East of England.”
He added National Highways will continue to explore “a more proportionate and targeted plan” of small-scale interventions for the A12 corridor in Essex, as the A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme was cancelled in July 2025.
Sir James told the BBC: “A modern, dualled road would mean safer journeys, quicker travel times and would unlock a corridor of economic opportunity. Labour have not just delayed this scheme, they have removed it entirely and people are rightly angered by this move.”
However, government spurces have pointed out that it was the last Conservative government, of which Sir James was a senior member, that first delayed the scheme.
“James Cleverly has got his facts wrong. The previous government, in which both he and [Witham MP] Priti Patel served, repeatedly delayed the A12 and refused to fund the A120.”
(Picture: Mapillary)
