Traffic chaos expected as more roads in Harlow set to be closed this weekend
General / Fri 5th Dec 2025 at 06:25pm
BE PREPARED for traffic chaos this weekend as a number of roads will be closed in Harlow this weekend.
There are many many events across Harlow this weekend. By 11am this morning, the Water Gardens car park was packed so expect it to be carmageddon time again.
For clarity, there hasn’t been any press releases etc. The information was sitting at the back of an Essex Highways website.
They said the roadworks would be completed by Autumn 2025. The big yellow sign on Velizy Avenue saying that has bee removed.
Statement: “On behalf of Essex County Council, Bouygues UK Ltd are undertaking essential works on the Burnt Mill Roundabout as part of the Harlow Sustainable Transport Corridor project. As part of these works, each of the following junctions on the Burnt Mill Roundabout are due to close on the following dates/times.
· Saturday 6th December 2025 between 7am and 8pm
· From 8pm on Friday 12th December until 5am on Monday 15th December 2025
Nightly from 8pm until 5am, on Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 8th, Thursday 9th of December 2025
Nightly from 8pm until 5am, on Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th, Thursday 18th, Friday 19th of December 2025
Junctions:
· On Station Approach, in both directions between Harlow Town Station and Burnt Mill Roundabout
· On Edinburgh Way, in both directions between the Toby Carvery Roundabout and Burnt Mill Roundabout
· On Fifth Avenue – Zelenskyy Ave A1019, in both directions between the Sainsbury’s Roundabout and Burnt Mill Roundabout
· On Elizabeth Way, in both directions between Rivermill Road and Burnt Mill Roundabout
“To support motorists requiring access to the A414, a two-way traffic flow will remain in place throughout this period, alternating between the closures on Elizabeth Way and Edinburgh Way. Motorists are advised to follow the roadside diversion signs to ensure they can access the correct diversion route. Due to limited capacity around the Burnt Mill Roundabout, we recommend motorists utilise alternative routes wherever possible to avoid congestion.
A spokesperson continued: “A certain amount of inconvenience is inevitable with work of this type, and we greatly appreciate your patience whilst these works are being undertaken. Unfortunately, this work will unavoidably create some noise, and we sincerely apologise for any disturbance caused. We wish to assure you that we will undertake these works as efficiently and quickly as possible”.
For further information, updates relating to this closure, and to check on any future closures and works taking place during the project, please refer to the following:
Website – essexhighways.org/harlow-sustainable-transport-corridors
Email – [email protected]
Margret Taylor
2025-12-05 18:47:54
Closing all the disabled parking up town absolutely disgusting, why couldn't they do the work one at a time
Gary
2025-12-05 18:52:41
Grid lock Harlow Maybe we should all just accept, Its gonna be permanently as bad when "all" the new traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and bus lanes are operational. I very much hope I`m wrong. Harlow Sustainable Transport Corridor Created to be anti car use. IMO
Andrew Bray
2025-12-05 19:52:48
Demolition Dan appears to enjoy causing traffic chaos in Harlow.
Terence Terrell
2025-12-05 20:44:28
Regarding the chaos forecast for this weekend, you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. I'll leave that analogy with you. The aforementioned roadworks between Burnt Mill and the Town Centre are coming along nicely and should make an appreciable difference to the traffic flow through the town. Maybe on your planet, construction is carried out with a twitch of the nose or the wave of a wand, but on our humble coil, with our modest methodology and technology, coupled with humanoid frailties, tasks take a little longer to achieve and bring to completion. As for Dan Swords, he has done more for this town in a couple of years than previous council leaders have achieved in the last 40 years. But the people of your planet seem to share the same shortcomings as some of our earthlings, inasmuch as you are not happy unless you are spreading negative doom and gloom forecasts.
rasp
2025-12-05 21:44:07
Terence Terrell. All the works is for busses, cyclists, taxis and walkers it will not improve traffic flow for the car or van drivers, if anything it will make flow worse for us aliens.
Roadrunner
2025-12-05 22:40:52
The problem is, there's nothing of any interest down that corridor to encourage anyone to walk or cycle. Is there a cafe or anything with some nice outdoor seating? I'm assuming not. People will continue to drive I'm afraid.
Seamus
2025-12-05 23:40:43
Terrence you said "Regarding the chaos forecast for this weekend, you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. I'll leave that analogy with you" A good cook makes sure the eggs stay where you want them to be rather than causing chaos all over the kitchen. I pressume there are project managers for the construction company, one for Essex county council and again for Harlow council. You'd think between all three they would have realised that creating gridlock weeks before christmas would not only kill any chance of a seasonal boost for our desperately struggling high street but would also harm other parts of Harlow as the juice ain't worth the squeeze to coin another phrase, so people stay away from other parts of Harlows retail outlets. Someone needs to take responsibility, learn from it and perhaps move to a job that requires a less demanding amount of thought. Organisation is not their strength.
Fed up pensioner mark 2
2025-12-06 05:27:18
Just keep the 59 bus running to Chelmsford ,so I can get out of this awful place for a few hours.
Jamie
2025-12-06 05:47:25
Got a parking ticket getting my medication because they suspended all disabled parking and someone moved the bloody suspension cones absolutely ridiculous. The parking warden didn’t not give a damn that all 5 disabled Parkers had no clue it was meant to be cornered off ! Don’t know what this town has become but it getting worse by the day
Ian
2025-12-06 07:31:26
Surely a filter lane onto the A414 at Eastwick would have been a good starting point so that any traffic that gets through the chaos down by Sainsbury's and the station can flow freely, preventing additional chaos!
Carlos
2025-12-06 07:49:27
"Sustainable" transport corridor.....who makes this sh!t up? Once this nonsense is completed the traffic in Harlow will be worse than ever before.....can't wait to hear from the polution brigade!!
TonyB
2025-12-06 12:51:13
So Bouygues UK Ltd is working on four roundabouts, they started in April 2024, after a year they announced, they would start putting in the drainage in April 2025. Lots of three men standing round a hole and another digging, rising to six men round a hole and one working. To complete the job they still have to start the Watergardens / Police station roundabout, parts of Second Avenue, plus build another bridge at Burnt Mill roundabout linking with the Eastwick roundabout. Then start work on the Hertfordshire M11 bypass running all the traffic from the A414 and Gilston new town through Harlow on the Eastern Crossing (Latton Island) putting exceptional strain on the A414 in Templefields and Old Harlow. There are plans for another ten roundabouts with S.T.C. traffic lights, two more on A414 and one at The Stow to be converted to a S.T.C. roundabout. The authorities seem oblivious of the traffic queues coming into Harlow in the morning and evening using the M11, their plans are to stop people coming to Harlow (or leaving). You cannot escape them. The only answer is to move away before your house price is devalued. I agree with Seamus, it is a ridiculous scenario to close access to shops just before Christmas, but it is hardly surprising, they are all civil servants, they do not live here, I’ve got my orders and plans to complete. Oh, I would just like to remind people this is a Conservative plan, initially dreamt up again by people who do not live here.
Flintstone
2025-12-06 14:52:37
This was supposed to be finished by the autumn and we are still waiting for the completion China would have finished this in 6 months but we have the lazy buggers in there vans on there phone They should be fined for finishing late
Terence Terrell
2025-12-06 15:06:28
Harlow was designed more for cycles than for cars. It was deemed that provision be made for our road systems to be able to tolerate one car per 2.5 households. Today, it's a ratio of 2.5 cars per household. So no surprise should be experienced in the realization that our roads have reached gridlock status. This situation has been allowed to remain unchecked and unaltered for 40 years. It's only now, with the imminent commencement of building works for our new neighboring outlying villages, that the road anomalies are being addressed. Of course, it's going to cause disruptions and time-consuming holdups, but that is the nature of any kind of regeneration works. But to hear people talk, you would think that it's some deep state government or council conspiracy to cause anarchy amongst its serfdom. Most rational thinking people can see the bigger picture, frustrated at times, as is normal. Then there are the naysayers, the peddlers in doom and gloom, who cannot or will not even look at the picture. These are the most exciting of times for Harlow and its residents since Harlow was given birth to. Soon enough, we will have a town to once again feel proud of. For those that find the regeneration works too abhorrent to bear, there is always relocation to their own vision of that which they base perfection on.
Icanbeatyouwithonehandtiedbehindmyback
2025-12-07 00:06:07
The so call road improvements in Harlow are nothing of the sort. For a start what halfwit dreamt up the idea of narrowing Fourth Avenue down to one lane from two at the Velizy Avenue roundabout? I've witnessed traffic desperately trying to get out of the way of fire engines exiting the fire station with literally nowhere to go. Crass stupidity by Essex CC planners & I'm angry (but not surprised) Harlow Council allowed this to happen. As for the shambles at the Town Station roundabout.......
Sarah Woodhouse
2025-12-07 02:45:02
The wide verges along Southern way and other roads in Harlow were designed that way to allow the roads to be expanded as traffic volume increased over the decades according to my late elderly neighbour who worked on the scheme when they were build . Now we have an anti car policy being forced on us by Essex council and Essex highways . According to Essex council highways extreme weather has delayed the project. When challenged to name such events they could not do so. The road works are not Harlow council responsible but Essex council , sitting in their cozy offices in Chelmsford
Dinsdale
2025-12-07 03:31:16
Improve traffic flow! Are they having a laugh..have you seen how many sets of traffic lights have gone up!!
Shaz
2025-12-07 11:03:07
@Sarah Woodhouse - can you not see with your own eyes the weather events the Council refer to? There has been extreme rainfall which is not conducive to surfacing roads. The fact the works have run into a season known for low temperatures and heavy precipitation of one sort or another is obvious, but we are where we are. @Terence Terrell - I'm on the same planet as you. The improved amenities that will come into this town once all these projects are complete, will make all of the people complaining about this temporary inconvenience look like.....you are living on a different planet. I believe people should be more positive and welcoming of all the investment going into improving the town. It will make a big positive difference to the lives of many residents. I'm not as positive about the new villages, but they are the main reason for the changes (along with UKHSA) and its happening, so take the benefits where you can.
Robbo
2025-12-07 12:11:50
Why put in more cycling tracks when the ones they have got are not being used EG Elizabeth way bus lanes not being used by church Langley then you have a lorry route that is not used or enforced they just make it worse
A resident
2025-12-07 13:41:35
Not sue about those dates, 8th Dec is a Monday and 9th is a Tuesday ? Do they mean 10th and 11th !!
R'Low Tyres
2025-12-08 20:28:37
Congratulations Harlow Council & The Highways team, thanks for absolutely killing busnesses on Burntmill Ind Est.. Our working day has shrunk between the absolute bun fight of two rush hours & school runs. Digging everything up at the same time and taking so long to complete the work, then shutting the roundabout for two whole weekends. Tackling the congestion, this Bus and cycle lane combo will do nothing for traffic easement. God only knows what it's going to be like when they widen the bridge.
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