Key milestone for Bell junction upgrade

December 18, 2020

Work on the Bell Junction is progressing well, with the work for the new dedicated slip road onto Rochford Road set to commence in the new year.

The dedicated slip road is major part of the £5m junction upgrade work, which will allow a greater number of vehicles travelling towards London Southend Airport through the junction. Preliminary works have begun to prepare the area for the work.

Construction of the new slip road is due to begin on Monday 4 January and is due to be completed at the end of February. The left turn onto Rochford Road will be closed until work on the slip road is complete. Rochford Road will also be closed in both directions near its junction of the A127 from Friday 15 January 8pm until 6.30am Monday 18 January 2021.

Residents and businesses directly affected by the road closure area will be granted access, and a diversion route will be in place for all other traffic. Eurovia will continue to provide school crossing patrol officers at The Bell Junction during term times. All closures and diversions will be clearly signposted ahead of and during the works.

The £5m project aims to improve the traffic flow across this key junction into and out of the town centre. The majority of the funding for The Bell junction improvement (£4.3m) is from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, with the remainder coming from the Council’s Capital budget.

Cllr Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, capital and inward investment, said: “I am pleased to see work progressing well at the junction. Collaborative working between council officers and Eurovia has seen us begin work on one of the main changes to the junction – the dedicated slip road.

“This is a big milestone for the project and is something that will provide a real improvement to traffic flow and air quality in the area. Local residents have been kept updated and will continue to be so as we carry out this important section of the improvement work.

“Alongside the dedicated slip road, we will be carrying out work on the new pedestrian crossing for this section of the road.

“We apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause local residents, and I would like to thank them for their understanding and support of the project so far.”

To find out more about the project, please visit www.southend.gov.uk/thebell

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