MAJOR roadworks in Colchester are set to take longer to complete - but drivers will no longer have to face five months of closures.

The Ipswich Road and Harwich Road improvement scheme has been underway for ten months.

The roadworks had originally been due to be completed in winter 2019/20.

This was then revised to April 2020 but Essex County Council has confirmed a number of issues mean it will overrun.

The scheme will now finish in early summer 2020 - but County Hall would not give a more specific date.

Highways bosses have also announced a planned five month closure of the south part of Ipswich Road will no longer take place.

Gazette:

The road has been shut since Monday to allow for four weeks of water main works.

BT will also finish work on site. 

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: “Once Anglian Water have finished their water main connection work across Ipswich Road (south) in July, we anticipate re-opening the road ideally until the new year.

"We are liaising closely with BT engineers to urgently understand their new issue regarding cable diversions and connections and what, if any, the impact may be.”

The road improvements involve carriageway widening and making single instead of multi-roundabouts. To do this at the Ipswich Road junction, the retaining wall supporting the road above the railway line must be moved back and strengthened.

A major piling and wall-building operation was due to be carried out from July 20.

But this is now been delayed until January 2020.

County Hall says the road will need to be shut for six to eight weeks instead of the three to four months originally planned.

David Finch, leader of Essex County Council, said: “I’m pleased to announce we have been able to adapt our planned works and alleviate the potentially severe impacts a prolonged closure might have had.

“I hope that the changes will help to reassure people that we are listening to their concerns and doing everything we can to mitigate the effect of the works wherever possible, even though that means a longer overall timetable.

"These works really are vital to support growth in Colchester and ensure this critical part of the town’s road network is fit for the future. I would like to offer my gratitude to residents and businesses for their patience while they are carried out.”