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.

Repairs have included:

A104 Robin Hood Roundabout, Loughton
Broadmayne Roundabout, Fryerns
Colchester Road – Eastways, Witham
Epping New Road, Epping Forest
Gardiners Lane, Basildon
High Road, Laindon
High Road, South Benfleet
High Street, Burnham-on-Crouch
Kenneth Road, Thundersley
Langford Road/Holloway Road, Heybridge
Limebrook Way, Maldon
Link Road, Canvey Island
London Road, Great Notley
Maldon Road roundabout, Colchester
Paringdon Road, Harlow
Rectory Road, Pitsea
Regina Road, Eckersley Road, Chelmsford
Ronald Road, Halstead
Rookery Road, Ingatestone
The Gladeway, Waltham Abbey
Tollgate Drive, Stanway
Underhill Road, South Benfleet
Victoria Road, Chelmsford
Councillor Mark Platt, Deputy Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council and lead for the Priority One programme, said: “Our Priority One programme targets the areas and issues which we know frustrate local people.

“This is on top of business-as-usual activities already underway. The additional funding allows us to get more crews out on the road in every borough, city and district in the county.

“Through Priority One funding we are fully resurfacing roads, not just patching issues. This means closing roads, removing the old surfaces, repairing any defects and laying new surfaces.

“We will continue to ramp up the Priority One programme over the coming weeks, undertaking 10 to 15 schemes a week. We thank residents for their patience as this widespread resurfacing is carried out.”

Alongside resurfacing, the Priority One programme is also funding drainage clearance, new signage, road lining and hundreds of areas of vegetation clearance.

Councillor Platt added: “We know overgrown vegetation is a particular annoyance for people. It not only impacts accessibility and visibility – it can make our local communities feel untidy.

“Not only are the team working hard to clear areas the council is responsible for – we are also contacting and writing to landowners to ensure they meet their responsibility to clear any vegetation impeding footpaths.”

Residents and road users can visit www.essexhighways.org/priority-one