Council votes for 'hamburger' at Chelmsford roundabout

Plans to redevelop Chelmsford's Army and Navy junction will move forward after proposals were approved.

A "hamburger" roundabout, with a road through its centre, was the preferred option for the redevelopment.

Essex County Council has voted to approve the proposal, which was the most popular option during a public consultation.

An outline business case will be developed to submit to the Department for Transport (DfT) for funding.

It is expected to be ready for submission in the autumn.

The alternative option included separate T-junctions instead of the hamburger roundabout, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Costs for the new layout will be split between the DfT, which will fund around £57.5m, Essex County Council at about £6m and Chelmsford City Council with £4m.

The Army and Navy junction is a critical part of the city's transport network and was used by up to 70,000 vehicles a day and 72 buses an hour prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It currently consists of a five-arm roundabout, which until 2019 had a tidal flyover that carried one-way traffic to and from the A1060/A1114 over the roundabout.

Lesley Wagland, county councillor with responsibility for economic renewal, infrastructure and planning, told a cabinet meeting, the new proposals represented "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redesign the junction sustainably" to improve journeys for all road users.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk