A BUSY road is due to close again for SIX WEEKS in the new year.

The £10 million works along Ipswich Road and Harwich Road in Colchester have been running for 14 months and are set to run until next summer.

During the work, a number of road closures have been enforced but Essex County Council and contractor Eurovia said there will be no more closures until the new year.

The contractor has now announced the next closure, at Ipswich Road South, will be on January 5, for a period of six weeks.

It is to allow piling work to be carried out.

The latest report said: “We have been working to improve traffic flow.

“Since lifting the restrictions to traffic on Ipswich Road North and Cowdray Avenue [in October] as well as making two lanes around the Ipswich Road roundabout we have seen a dramatic change in the flows and amount of traffic in this area.

“Although the traffic is still there it appears to be navigating through this area with more ease.”

Hoarding works on the Network Rail side of the Ipswich Road roundabout started this week.

These works will be carried out at weekends and during the night in a bid to keep Christmas shopping traffic flowing.

The scheme will see the replacement of the double roundabouts at Ipswich Road and Harwich Road with a single roundabout at each location.

The carriageway between Ipswich Road and Harwich Road junctions will also be widened to accommodate two lanes in each direction.

The scheme will include upgrading pedestrian crossings to signal controlled crossings and general improvements to the cycle and footway provisions.

Earlier this month it was revealed Colchester Council will have missed out on income of £257,000 after profits at its sports and leisure facilities were hit by the works.

The county council said contractors have done everything they can with signs and online information showing routes to businesses.