Essex County Council release proposals for A 120 expansion

[Andrew_S_Hatton]

http://a120essex.co.uk/

It seems as if Joe Public is being given too much choice the discussions seem likely to be never ending

[JonB2028]

The note in the bottom left and the process map indicates to me that there likely will be a further reduction in options before consultation. It would be normal to consult on 3-4 or so options.

The previous consultation in 2005 I believe had accusations of the HA not giving any choice by presenting a preferred route and options rejected so maybe ECC are wary of this?

[si404]

It seems as if Joe Public is being given too much choice the discussions seem likely to be never ending

Given this is a consultation on what the county council should lobby Highways England for, we're already one step removed...

[jackal]

The route proposed in 2005, and cancelled in 2009, was fine, aside from the eastern two-bridge roundabout, which I'd swap out for a fork.

The A12 Chelmsford to A120 Widening Scheme is scheduled to start by 2020, and will have significant implications for the A120 scheme.

[Truvelo]

The 2005 scheme would be open by now if it wasn't cancelled

Anyway, the best way from Braintree to Colchester is the unclassified road through Silver End and Rivenhall. Unfortunately it seems everyone else knows it too

[JonB2028]

Anyway, the best way from Braintree to Colchester is the unclassified road through Silver End and Rivenhall. Unfortunately it seems everyone else knows it too

The two southerly options then should do a good job of reducing such rat-running through these villages.

[Runwell]

Those two blue lines look the only realistic route, but Galleys Corner (B1018 turn) needs to be bypassed. Trouble is, to the west of the roundabout is the bridge taking traffic towards Freeport and Braintree town centre, and the Rayne and A131 turns are just after that too.

[JonB2028]

The consultation for this opened yesterday and runs to the 14th March.

http://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.u ... olchester/

Some more information is available on the scheme website, though not that much.

[jackal]

More detail than I was expecting, including costings (£m):

OPTION A OPTION B OPTION C OPTION D OPTION E
605 725 825 475 570

http://a120essex.co.uk/wp-content/uploa ... 18_web.pdf

[RichardA35]

More detail than I was expecting, including costings (£m):

OPTION A OPTION B OPTION C OPTION D OPTION E
605 725 825 475 570

A120 options.jpg
http://a120essex.co.uk/wp-content/uploa ... 18_web.pdf

...and it's only 15 years ago since Stansted to Braintree cost only £90M. Yes, it's a few years ago and there's been a bit of inflation, but what is the reason for a simple rural road to be estimated to cost so much?

[jackal]

The options are costed at £80m-£90m per mile, which is pretty much unprecedented for a D2.

[Bryn666]

Perhaps the sub-base will be made out of that asteroid NASA have discovered...

Option C is the tidiest alignment and avoids a cack section of the A12.

A looks like the designer tried drawing the alignment whilst swatting a wasp.

[roadtester]

Option C is the tidiest alignment and avoids a cack section of the A12.

Yes, agreed - I'm guessing that going to/from the west to/from Colchester is going to be flow that gets the most useful benefit from the new section so all things being equal, joining the A12 more to the north/west seems to make most sense.

[jackal]

Option B is perfectly acceptable as well (but quite hard to see on the map!).

D and E are a longer way around, and rely on a longer multiplex with the A12, so may be a false economy.

The Chelmsford to A120 section of A12 is already being widened to D3 without the A120 multiplex. In an ideal world the A12 widening and A120 scheme would be coordinated, so the widening could be to D4 if the A120 multiplexes with it.

In reality, the schemes are not only in different road periods, but have different authorities developing them

[Chris Bertram]

A looks like the designer tried drawing the alignment whilst swatting a wasp.

Option A incorporates most of the existing Coggeshall by-pass, and adds a by-pass of Bradwell to the north. Is there a good reason for that, rather than skirting it to the south?

[roadtester]

Option B is perfectly acceptable as well (but quite hard to see on the map!).

Yes - difficult to see, but I agree the same argument applies.

The other thing that occurs to me is that options A, B and C hit the A12 at a rather uncompromising right-angle - does that point to something slightly rubbish junction-wise rather than an arrangement that has the two roads merging smoothly?

Or am I reading to much into a not too detailed map/plan?

[jackal]

Option B is perfectly acceptable as well (but quite hard to see on the map!).

Yes - difficult to see, but I agree the same argument applies.

The other thing that occurs to me is that options A, B and C hit the A12 at a rather uncompromising right-angle - does that point to something slightly rubbish junction-wise rather than an arrangement that has the two roads merging smoothly?

Or am I reading to much into a not too detailed map/plan?

That occurred to me as well. The 2005 plan had a two-bridge roundabout. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the consultation docs show a dumbbell at p. 47, where it's discussing the A12/A120 connection. I expect they will go for one of those two, when really it should be a freeflow fork or trumpet.

[JonB2028]

A looks like the designer tried drawing the alignment whilst swatting a wasp.

With the Coggeshall bypass the existing A120 is a Dromedary camel, adding the bypass to Bradwell turns it in to a Bactrian one...

[Duncan]

At least Essex County Council seem to be able to fund road improvements. The last major improvements in East and West Sussex, apart from the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road (sorry, no time to look the number up), the A22 Eastbourne Link, the A29 Billingshurst Bypass and a few developer-funded schemes, were over 20 years ago (the A23 from Handcross to Warninglid and A27 Polegate Bypass were Highways England schemes). The counties' cross-country links are in serious need of improvements.

[JonB2028]

A looks like the designer tried drawing the alignment whilst swatting a wasp.

Option A incorporates most of the existing Coggeshall by-pass, and adds a by-pass of Bradwell to the north. Is there a good reason for that, rather than skirting it to the south?

The individual route plans in the brochure aren't that clear, but most of the hatching types are something environmentally sensitive, local wildlife sites on the River Blackwater nearer Bradwell and to the south of Bradwell? The River Blackwater is a sensitive area, probably why the 1980s bypass of Coggeshall went to the north as well.