MOTORISTS will have to contend with road closures and delayed journeys as engineers prepare to carry out repairs on a busy main road.

National Highways workers will carry out the work on the A12 between Marks Tey and Stanway from Monday.

The £37million project, which will use recycled material and a new asphalt road surface, is expected it will not conclude until the winter of 2023/24.

The ambitious reconstruction involves the complete removal of the roads current concrete surface, in addition to some of its foundations.

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Replacement kerbs will also be installed, while the drainage system will be refurbished and the safety barriers replaced.

Once the initial works are complete, the dual carriageway, between Junction 25 and Junction 26, will then be rebuilt and resurfaced with noise-reducing materials.

According to bosses at National Highways, the new look road will have a lifespan of up to 50 years and provide safety benefits and a smoother ride for road users.

Full road closures will be required at the beginning of each phase of work to set out traffic management, including the installation of speed and safety cameras.

In a bid to mitigate disruption as much as possible, however, the first three weeks of works will take place under overnight road closures between 9pm and 6am.

Martin Collings, project manager said: "We'll be able to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction for the majority of the construction period.

"This will allow us to keep the A12 between junctions 19 and 26 open during the day.

"We will be working hard to ensure any impact on road users and residents is kept to a minimum.

"We'll do our best to complete the work as quickly as possible."

Some of the closures include lanes one and two of the northbound carriage way between Marks Tey and Stanway, from October 19 until October 20.

Both lanes of the southbound carriageway will also be closed between the same junctions from October 21 until October 24.

The entry and exit slip roads will also be impacted of both carriageways during the closure periods.

Karl Brooks, National Highways programme delivery manager, said: “The A12 is one of the region's most important road but is now in desperate need of upgrades.

"Once complete, 80,000 drivers who travel on this carriageway every day will benefit from improved safety, a smoother road surface and reduced noise.”

A full list of closures can be found by visiting nationalhighways.co.uk/MarksTeytoStanway.