A BUSY Colchester road will be completely closed tonight as part of ongoing roadworks.

Station Way will shut to allow new lanes and safety barriers to be installed.

It will be close from 5pm this evening until 5am tomorrow morning.

A signed diversion will be in place via Cowdray Avenue, Ipswich Road, Severalls Lane and Mill Road.

During the night, contractors will be realigning lanes to make way for two lanes of traffic on both carriageways and room for roadworks to be carried out safely.

A temporary concrete safety barrier between the two carriageways and concrete safety barriers to protect the workforce from traffic will also be installed.

Major roadworks are being carried out at Station Way to build an extra lane for traffic heading towards Colchester town centre from north of the town.

Rodney Bass, responsible for highways at Essex County Council, said: “Temporary alterations are essential due to the limited width of the current carriageways; without this closure the necessary health and safety provisions for site operatives and the public cannot be maintained. Capacity will be maintained wherever possible.”

The extra lane, for buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles, will stretch from North Station roundabout, along Station Way, to the Essex Hall roundabout, making this part of the road a three-lane carriageway.

Work is expected to last until Spring.

It is not possible to do the whole job at night for a number of reasons, including noise disturbance to residents at night, health and safety for workers and reduction of productivity – partly as a result of lower temperatures – which could prolong the works.