ONE of the busiest motorway junctions in Essex is to undergo major regeneration this autumn after the British Transport Secretary gave plans the go-ahead.

Earlier this week, Grant Shapps, the secretary of state for transport, approved upgrades to improve junction 28 of the M25, which connects the London Orbital Motorway to the A12.

The junction regularly suffers from long queues and heavy congestion, with up to 7,500 vehicles passing through the connection each hour during peak times.

Plans are now in set to be put into action in the autumn, when National Highways will begin work to deliver improvements that will reduce traffic and lead to safer journeys for hundreds of thousands of drivers every day.

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It is hoped that, upon completion of the plans, there will be less traffic queuing back onto the M25 after the junction is reconfigured.

Discussing the plans, National Highways regional delivery director, Chris Welby-Everard said:

“Our proposals to improve the M25 at junction 28 are good for business and jobs, good for road safety and good for the environment, making journeys safer and more reliable.

“We have listened carefully to the views of all stakeholders and are delighted with today’s announcement.”