Transport secretary cancels A12 widening scheme in Essex
The A12 scheme was a £1.2bn project to widen a 15-mile (24km) stretch of the road from Chelmsford to the A120.Alexander said the scheme had to be cancelled because it was one of the most expensive upcoming projects."Only those projects that are fully costed, affordable and will deliver a return on taxpayers' money will be given the green light under my watch," she added.She also announced the decision not to progress with the A47 Wansford to Sutton scheme. National Highways planned to make a 1.6-mile (2.5km) section of the A47 between Wansford and Sutton in Cambridgeshire into a dual carriageway.She said: "We are already investing over £500m on improvements to the A47 corridor, with work to dual sections in Norfolk already under way, but it's just not feasible to support further investment at this time."I understand some communities will feel frustrated, but by taking this decision, we are rebalancing funds towards those areas that for too long haven't had the infrastructure investment they have deserved."Alexander added: "The north and Midlands will now get a higher proportion of strategic road spend than we've seen in the last five years. "I believe that's the right and fair thing to do."
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