A130/A131 Chelmsford North East Bypass

[The God of Biscuits]

I don't see that the previous A130 downgrade is relevant to the B1008 corner cutting idea. You don't want strategic traffic going along a low quality single carriageway (B1008/former A13) that leads onto another low quality single carriageway in an urban area (A130), hence the downgrade. But you would want strategic traffic on a fully grade-separated DC that takes traffic off the M25 and overloaded arterials.

Indeed, we would not want strategic traffic on low quality single carriageway roads. But the plans for the NE bypass rejoin the existing A130/A131 DC at the Deres Bridge roundabout at the southern end of the Great Leighs bypass, not the Sheepcotes roundabout where the B1008/ex A130 heads off in the direction of Dunmow, and so the strategic traffic would be on a reasonable standard D2 anyway. Presumably this would be improved largely on-line (ish) if traffic levels required it.

[jackal]

The A131 is clearly a non-starter as part of a London outer orbital. Hence the B1008 corner cut.

[MayzieY]

£381m HIF funding announced for Chelmsford NE Bypass and new Beaulieu Park Station, and for Colchester:

https://www.essexlive.news/news/major-3 ... ts-3226211

[jackal]

HIF bid summary: https://www.essexhighways.org/uploads/d ... on-hif.pdf

[Jon Waters]

Having seen the plans for Boreham Interchange. Why terminate the bypass s/b at the roundabout? It bad at the moment. Why not create a link to the A12. There are another 5000 homes to be built nearby and not talking about Bealieu.

[c2R]

Having seen the plans for Boreham Interchange. Why terminate the bypass s/b at the roundabout? It bad at the moment. Why not create a link to the A12. There are another 5000 homes to be built nearby and not talking about Bealieu.

Probably because a better solution is needed, i.e. a ferrybridge style parallel carriageways for the A130 and A12 with adequate braiding. I'd expect that they'll also want to see what happens to traffic patterns with the building of the houses.

[jackal]

Having seen the plans for Boreham Interchange. Why terminate the bypass s/b at the roundabout? It bad at the moment. Why not create a link to the A12. There are another 5000 homes to be built nearby and not talking about Bealieu.

Probably because a better solution is needed, i.e. a ferrybridge style parallel carriageways for the A130 and A12 with adequate braiding. I'd expect that they'll also want to see what happens to traffic patterns with the building of the houses.

An optimist! I knew there must be one on here somewhere.

Looking at the £218m award to build this road and a mainline railway station, and the ~£250m price tag the road had eleven years ago, I expect a downgraded design with at-grade conflicts at every opportunity. Would love to be wrong...

[JonB2028]

Having seen the plans for Boreham Interchange. Why terminate the bypass s/b at the roundabout? It bad at the moment. Why not create a link to the A12. There are another 5000 homes to be built nearby and not talking about Bealieu.

Probably because a better solution is needed, i.e. a ferrybridge style parallel carriageways for the A130 and A12 with adequate braiding. I'd expect that they'll also want to see what happens to traffic patterns with the building of the houses.

An optimist! I knew there must be one on here somewhere.

Looking at the £218m award to build this road and a mainline railway station, and the ~£250m price tag the road had eleven years ago, I expect a downgraded design with at-grade conflicts at every opportunity. Would love to be wrong...

Single carriageway but allowing future dualling?
Originally the upgrade of J19 was in CNEB but now isn't. Maybe part of A12 19-25; if that can afford it? Or wait for futher downstream schemes on A12, maybe widening around Chelmsford would reduced some of the pressure on the junction?

[Jon Waters]

Probably because a better solution is needed, i.e. a ferrybridge style parallel carriageways for the A130 and A12 with adequate braiding. I'd expect that they'll also want to see what happens to traffic patterns with the building of the houses.

An optimist! I knew there must be one on here somewhere.

Looking at the £218m award to build this road and a mainline railway station, and the ~£250m price tag the road had eleven years ago, I expect a downgraded design with at-grade conflicts at every opportunity. Would love to be wrong...

Single carriageway but allowing future dualling?
Originally the upgrade of J19 was in CNEB but now isn't. Maybe part of A12 19-25; if that can afford it? Or wait for futher downstream schemes on A12, maybe widening around Chelmsford would reduced some of the pressure on the junction?

[MrEd]

It looks very much like Essex Highways are only going to deliver half the bypass first from the latest info. So not the complete route and only single carriageway, furthermore no dates as to when it will get built! Seems like they are doing the absolute minimum possible so that they can be allowed to build the rest of the 8000 houses which were dependent on the bypass being built.

[Lewis1997]

It looks very much like Essex Highways are only going to deliver half the bypass first from the latest info. So not the complete route and only single carriageway, furthermore no dates as to when it will get built! Seems like they are doing the absolute minimum possible so that they can be allowed to build the rest of the 8000 houses which were dependent on the bypass being built.

If you look closely, it seems Essex Highways aren’t delivering the first phase at all; the new road/bypass from the A12 to the new roundabout will be the ‘developers’ road. Such a disappointment when in needed desperately. The dualling appears to come in phase two.

[MrEd]

You’re right and that’s the whole point. Phase One appears to be half of the bypass very much watered down from the original plans and no connection to the A12. I don’t think that the council would have a developer building the part with the major trunk road connection?! Phase two is essential to making the road function as a proper bypass and there doesn’t appear to be a date of when they’re going to build it.

[jackal]

I didn't hear about the consultation until now. The video (from 3.30) shows the plans best, including future proofing for dualling and a dumbbell.



The consultation document indicates an offline dual carriageway heading towards Boreham interchange as part of phase 2 - though details aren't shown surely this would require a major improvement to the interchange. Until this is provided the scheme will be terribly short of capacity at the A12 end.

I will as usual mention that the Chelmsford bypass should be widened given it's the convergence point for the North East bypass, A12 widening, and recently widened A130.

[MrEd]

So works start at Boreham interchange to join up the bottom half of the bypass next week. It looks like a lot of the radial roads of the new garden village are already built so this will connect it to the A130 at channels where the new services are until the rest is completed.

There are some some more details here.
https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planning- ... tumn-2021/

[roadphotos]

What happened to the original plan for a freeflow from the proposed new A131 to the A12 south

[JammyDodge]

What happened to the original plan for a freeflow from the proposed new A131 to the A12 south

Looks like it was scrapped years ago, and has been replaced by an S2 bypass, to provide a new route for the A130 (and of course, more houses)

[Runwell]

Which is just woefully inadequate.

[JammyDodge]

Which is just woefully inadequate.

Welcome to the UK's infrastructure investment strategy of the last 30 years (1.5 lifetimes for me)

[c2R]

At least there's provision for future dualling and grade separation. Unlike the ELOR.....

[c2R]

Here's a map of the plan - notable I think is the realignment of the Generals Lane Roundabout to a position to the west - it looks like this could create some space for the main carriageways of the scheme at a later date

(edit - photo hosted on scheme website: https://www.essexhighways.org/highway-s ... ments.aspx - copy saved also in archive.org)