Latest news with #roadwidening
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cancelled A12 widening work leaves homeowner 'gutted'
A woman who lost her home through compulsory purchase says she is "absolutely gutted" a proposed road widening scheme will now not go Strathie, who is in her 80s, had lived at her home in Kelvedon, Essex, near the A12 for 21 years. The £1.2bn project to widen the A12 near Chelmsford was cancelled due to costs, the government revealed."I am absolutely gutted because they have completely messed our lives up," said Ms Strathie - who now lives in Maldon. "We lived in our bungalow for 21 years and we had just one neighbour who lived there for 51 years," Ms Strathie added."My husband ran a business from our property and now everything has come to an end, and they are not going to do the A12." The scheme was set to widen a 15-mile (24km) stretch of road from Chelmsford to the A120 at Marks Tey. Rishi Sunak's government approved the project in January 2024, but the current government cancelled it, accusing the previous Conservative government of promising infrastructure projects with "no plan to pay for them".Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander had told the BBC: "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."Ms Strathie added: "We now live in another house in Maldon, and we are not settled."My husband had a heart attack just after Christmas this year through the stress."If they are not going to do the A12 then give us our home back, where we are happy."Ms Strathie said she would "not give up" trying to move back to her property in Kelvedon. In an interview with BBC Radio Essex, Dame Priti Patel, Conservative MP for Witham in Essex, said the decision had "been a long time in the making"."This will have implications for the whole of the county," she said."We are the economic powerhouse and backbone of the British economy."Talking about the government's decision to stop the project, she said: "They are happy to proceed with the A66 and as a result of this I have written quite a scathing letter to Heidi Alexander."In response to Ms Strathie's story, she said: "I would be more than happy to meet with her and try and help in whatever capacity I can."This goes right through my constituency. There are a handful of constituents that have been heavily affected." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Transport secretary cancels A12 widening scheme in Essex
A scheme to widen a road used by about 90,000 vehicles a day will no longer go ahead due to a lack of funds, the government has announced. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has cancelled the works planned for the A12 near Chelmsford, Essex, as well as the A47 between Wansford and Sutton scheme in Cambridgeshire. Alexander added the previous Conservative government promised infrastructure projects with "no plan to pay for them" and that it was up to the government to make sustainable decisions on future transport projects. She added: "That means no more black holes and no more busted budgets, no more promising the moon on a stick - those days are over." The A12 scheme was a £1.2bn project to widen a 15-mile (24km) stretch of the road from Chelmsford to the 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 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 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." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
A66 road dualling approved again after spending review
A plan to dual the A66 has been approved again, a year after the government put the scheme on project to widen the road, which runs from Penrith to Scotch Corner, was approved by the previous Conservative government, but when Labour won the election last July it put the plan on hold to review a "black hole" in the public Department for Transport (DfT) has now confirmed the work in a £92bn national package announced on Campbell-Savours, Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, said: "This was one of the biggest road projects in the UK and it's frustrating that it's taken so long to get an answer, but I'm really pleased it's gone our way. We've fought hard for this." The DfT said the amount of HGV traffic on the A66, which also has single lane sections in County Durham, was more than twice the national average for a road of this added the widening would shave up to 12 minutes off journeys and boost the economy by speeding up access to other routes such as the M6 and A1 (M), as well as to ports such as Stranraer in south-west Scotland.A timeline for the work to be carried out is yet to be Farron, the LibDem MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, had joined forces with the former Conservative Prime Minister and MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire Rishi Sunak to press for the work to be carried out on the road which crosses their said the connection to other routes made "so much sense for the economy" and the work would improve safety on the road."For those people who are most concerned locally about the loss of life on the A66, I think for them and for me this is a moment of great relief," he said. 'More traffic' fear The plan to dual the A66 had been subject of a failed legal challenge by Transport Action Network (TAN).The group believes the work to upgrade 18 miles of single carriageway offered "poor" value for money and would increase Todd, TAN's director, said the project would cost "more than it will ever deliver in economic benefits"."It represents another set back for the government's growth agenda. The only thing that this will grow is more traffic and more HGVs on our road, making them less safe."This will lead to nearly three million tons of carbon - it completely contradicts the government's drive for decarbonisation and nature protection."But Farron said the scheme would benefit local people and ease traffic."What really peaks carbon emissions is when you have thousands and thousands of vehicle, including 25% of them being freight, stood still belching out fumes because of all the traffic hold-ups because of the accidents and that's one of the reasons why I think that case fell."Campbell-Savours said there was "nothing environmentally friendly" about the current congestion."For many of us it's exactly about better junctions, safer junctions and a road system that doesn't see Penrith getting gnarled up every weekend," he DfT has announced a wider £92bn investment across England, including upgrading road and rail networks and extending the £3 bus cap. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Malay Mail
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Pasir Gudang Highway upgrade: Phased opening confirmed as RM301m project nears completion
JOHOR BARU, July 8 — Final discussions with contractors and related agencies are expected to conclude this week to finalise the location and date for the phased opening of the three-lane road under the Pasir Gudang Highway widening project. Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the road opening would be carried out in stages involving several sections along the five-kilometre work area, depending on the level of readiness and current safety aspects. 'This will allow the completed sections to be opened earlier so that the public can begin using them and enjoy the benefits. 'If we want to expedite the project, we would have to open only one lane while work is ongoing. However, that would cause traffic disruptions. So, we need to strike a cannot be reduced to fewer than the two lanes currently in use,' said the Bukit Pasir Assemblyman, who visited the site to see the work progress of the project last night. Commenting on the latest development at the project site, Mohamad Fazli said his primary focus was on two key locations – at CH1170 (in front of Petron) and CH4200 (near the Wau replica roundabout), as these areas were riddled with potholes, poorly lit and had uneven road surfaces. He said that works such as road surfacing and lighting installation were being actively carried out, with over 467 patching works completed since January. The contractor, he said, had also given an assurance that the installation of 197 streetlights along the five-kilometre route would be completed by July 11, complemented by additional spotlights and warning blinkers at blind spots to enhance road user safety. Meanwhile, Mohamad Fazli said motorists whose vehicles were damaged due to potholes along the project route could file a compensation claim to the contractor or concessionaire. 'This provision is part of the contract between the Public Works Department (JKR) and the concessionaire. The road must be maintained in a safe condition at all times. If damage or an accident occurs due to unsafe infrastructure, road users can lodge a police report and submit a claim with photographic evidence of the incident location,' he said. The Pasir Gudang Highway serves as the main route to Pasir Gudang, the largest industrial area in the country, which is home to more than 5,000 factories across various industries. It also connects two major ports – Johor Port and Tanjung Langsat Port (PTL). Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced last February that the Pasir Gudang Highway upgrading project (Phase 3), involving the stretch from the Perling Elevated Interchange to the North-South Expressway On-ramp, would see the highway expanded from four lanes to six lanes at a cost of RM301.5 million. The project is expected to be completed by June 2028. Meanwhile, the project to upgrade the Pasir Gudang Highway (Phase 2B), covering the stretch from the Bandar Seri Alam/Taman Rinting Interchange to Pasir Gudang, will also be widened from four lanes to six lanes at a cost of RM78 million. It is scheduled for completion by February 2026. — Bernama
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Plan to widen traffic 'pinch point' in Hull's Wincolmlee
Removing a "pinch point" will improve the flow of traffic on a busy road, according to plans submitted to Hull City proposal for Wincolmlee would see a disused building demolished to allow the road to be widened by 1.2m (4ft) near the roundabout with Air to the application, lorries were "often forced to stop or force oncoming vehicles to make abrupt movements due to the narrowness of the road".Drivers had sometimes been forced on to a footpath, putting pedestrian safety at risk. Defunct pipe work would be removed and a 2.5m (8ft) fence put up as part of the work, the Local Democracy Reporting Service to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
