The replacement of the carriageway on the A12 in North Essex is going to take longer than first planned, with National Highways saying the scheme will not be finished before next summer.

The rebuilding of the road between Marks Tey and Stanway on the outskirts of Colchester has, according to National Highways, faced “unexpected challenges” which have impacted on timelines.

It says these challenges include adverse weather conditions, including the wettest March on record, and the discovery of poor ground conditions under the northbound carriageway.

“Before we started construction, we carried out extensive industry standard surveys,” an update reads on the scheme’s web page. “Unfortunately, while our surveys were completed to current standards and using the correct methods, they can only give us an indication of the ground condition in the specific areas tested, rather than every inch of the road. This means that it was only when we began digging up the northbound carriageway that we uncovered these issues, and it became clear that additional work was required to strengthen the foundations of the road.

“We know this will be frustrating news and we’re sorry for the inconvenience these delays may cause to your journey. It’s important however that our work is carried out to the highest specification now to minimise long term disruption for road users in the future.”

(Picture – Highways News)

Please be assured that we’re working hard to complete construction as quickly as possible. By building in additional time to account for these issues and the risk of further impact from anticipated poor weather conditions over the winter, we hope that this update provides transparency so you’re able to plan ahead should our work continue past spring 2024 as previously expected.