Essex County Council has unveiled plans for a groundbreaking, hi-tech traffic control system across the county.

The council recently announced a new contract with Siemens Atkins 2000, a partnership between Siemens Traffic Controls Ltd and WS Atkins Consultants Ltd last week.

The £1m plus contract, will cover new initiatives in the planning, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of traffic signals and information systems across the county.

It will come in to effect when the current contracts for professional engineering consultancy services and operational maintenance expires in May.

A spokesman for the council said: We have been very pleased with the tender process and very impressed by the ideas submitted by all the tenderers, which have more than fulfiled our expectations for this contract."

Geoff Durhan from Siemens Atkins 200 said: "This is a very exciting new initiative from the county council which requires a fresh approach. We are able to provide the broad range of services which Essex needs."

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