A FUNDING solution must be sought before the multi-million pound upgrade of a key road in north Essex can begin.

Essex County Council has placed its £3.6million improvement of the A131 between Braintree and Sudbury on pause due to concerns it would not be able to fund its share of the costs.

Braintree Council had held last-minute talks with representatives from the highways department at County Hall to prevent the scheme from stalling, but the authority has now confirmed the project has been put on hold.

In a short statement, the two councils said: “Work continues between both authorities to find a funding solution that will allow the proposed improvements to proceed.”

County Hall was expected to fund half of the £3.6million scheme, while a £1.8million grant from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) would cover the remaining costs.

However, plans to cut back on capital expenditure means the county council is no longer able to provide its half of the money.

The improvement scheme included plans to widen four entry lanes at the Marks Farm roundabout in Braintree, along with adding a left turn sliproad from the A120 heading south.

Further improvements were also lined up for the Broad Road roundabout, the junction at High Garrett and the introduction of new signage at Plaistow Green and Bulmer Tye were also in the pipeline.

The £1.8million grant provided by the SELEP will remain in place, despite initial fears it would have to be returned and the £100,000 already spent on the scheme refunded.

Highways bosses hope the next update on the upgrade will be put together in a report and unveiled during a meeting in June.

But it remains unclear when the funding gap will be resolved.

The delay to the upgrade will not affect the £7.3million improvements being made to the A131 between Braintree and Chelmsford.

Work has already been completed on extending the Essex Regiment Way bus lane and improving the Deres Bridge Roundabout, and improvements are now being made to Nabbotts Roundabout.