THE Government is silent on the future of a major roads upgrade scheme one month after leaked documents revealed the project has been shelved.

A long-awaited project to upgrade the A120 by creating a dual carriageway link road between Braintree and the A12 has been in the works since 2017.

But last month the Gazette revealed plans to revamp the major road had been ditched despite millions of pounds of investment.

Leaked internal correspondence within the Department for Transport (DfT) revealed work on the project was to stop due to Treasury funding pressures.

Plans for the A120 upgrade were first developed by Essex County Council and attracted huge investment.

National Highways took over the project in 2020 and had been due to announce a preferred route this summer, which would not have been Essex County Council’s choice.

County Hall had hoped to see a route run from Galleys Corner at Braintree to the A12 to the south of Kelvedon.

Instead, work on the project will cease altogether, with the documents revealing the DfT anticipates a huge backlash from MPs and councillors.

Since the Gazette broke the story, Essex County Council has received no further update on the status of the project despite seeking "urgent" clarification.

Council leader Kevin Bentley said he would be "bitterly disappointed" to see work cease on the scheme.

Colchester MP Will Quince, Witham MP Priti Patel and Braintree MP James Cleverly have written to the Treasury to "restate the importance" of the project.

Some campaigners welcomed the move to shelve the project.

Chris Todd, director of Transport Action Network, called it a "dinosaur road scheme".

"At a time when record temperatures are once again being set and the planet is on fire, building new roads which increase traffic and emissions is the last thing we need," he said.

"It’s like pouring petrol onto the fire.

"The fact that this scheme has been paused or scrapped by the Treasury and not the DfT shows how out of touch the DfT really is.

"It is continuing to fuel climate change with its obsession with road building. Now more than ever we need a review of all road schemes in England."

The DfT referred the Gazette to its first and only statement: "No decision has yet been made on the A120 Braintree to A12 scheme and any updates will be set out in due course.”