A STUDY into how one of the busiest A-roads in our area can be improved is a step closer to being launched.

Essex County Council has set up a Members Forum to plan a feasability study into the A120, which will help come up with options for improving the Braintree to Marks Tey road.

To dual the single-lane carriageway, a new route for the road is expected to be mapped out.

The Forum started planning at its first meeting on November 13, which included Essex County Council leaders, MPs, Braintree and Colchester councillors and Jacobs transport specialists, who will lead the study.

George Kieffer, chairman of the Haven Gateway Partnership, which campaigns for improvements to the A120, also attended.

Following a public consultation in 2016, options for the new A120 route are due to be outlined by the study in late 2017.

Essex County Council cabinet member for Infrastructure, councillor Rodney Bass, said: "Improvements to the A120 are critical to easing congestion and improving safety – the road simply wasn’t built to carry the volume of traffic it does now.

"The first Members Forum meeting was an excellent start.

"We know this is an important improvement to both motorists and residents alike, so part of the reason we set up the A120 Members Forum was to ensure that we cultivate regional political support to ensure people are kept informed and allow them to give us their views."

He added: "We have a lot of work to do.

"I expect the engineering feasibility work to be completed toward the end of 2016, and then once the various options are worked through we will put them out for consultation."

Essex County Council hopes to put the options forward to Highways England’s 2020-2025 road investment strategy in late 2017.