A NEW £100million road being built to enable a 9,000-home new town to go ahead will add to Colchester’s traffic woes, a campaigning councillor has said.

Andrea Luxford-Vaughan (Lib Dem, Wivenhoe) has analysed Essex County Council’s own traffic models and says the road, set to be built between the A133 and A120 in Colchester, will increase congestion at a number of hotspots in the town.

These include on the A12 at junctions 26, 28 and 29, Haven Road and Colne Causeway in Hythe, Greenstead roundabout, Ipswich Road, Lexden Road and Southway.

Mrs Luxford-Vaughan said: “If anything, the link road is going to divert traffic to local roads in order to access it.

“And if that doesn’t generate more traffic, then I have a funny feeling 9,000 homes, with about 20,000 cars between them, will have a significant impact on local roads.

“I would happily buy into the notion that contrary to this far-fetched fantasy that the link road will mean even more traffic through Elmstead.

“I’ve reviewed all the traffic modelling reports by Jacobs paid for by County Hall, which were used as evidence at the hearing, which conclude the link road will create additional congestion all over the place.”

She added: “That’s the weird thing with roads - you build them and people drive on them and on nearby roads to get to them.”

County Hall has signed a contract to secure the £100million funding from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to deliver the new road as well as the so-called rapid transit system to go with it.

Mrs Luxford-Vaughan said this agreement itself was “very risky”.

She said: “The timescales are challenging and some legally binding conditions are well beyond the control of the council, which means Homes England can withhold funding or recover the whole of the grant in full, plus interest in some circumstances.”

“Worst of all Essex County Council have already set out the option to scale back the project if the funding falls short despite it already being over £10 million short.

“The only good thing is they can’t change the scheme without the consent of Homes England. So, if the price of land goes up, CPO’s fail or the contingency is not enough then the council, i.e., us taxpayers, will have to foot the bill.”

Mrs Luxford Vaughan also hit out at claims the new road would improve air quality in Colchester.

She said: “How will an influx of tens of thousands of cars in the vicinity improve anything?

“Maybe it will move where the fumes are expelled but to propose that a road will improve air quality is at best embarrassing and at worst insulting to concerned local residents.”

She added: “I am confident the air quality will not improve when you go from the odd car or tractor to 20,000 on site cars with a new dual carriageway running through it.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said the report was undertaken in 2017 to support the funding bid and made clear further assessment would be need.

He added: “The more detailed modelling undertaken demonstrates the new link road will help shift traffic on to the A120/A12, and in doing so reduce traffic in the town.

"One of the key steps in reducing congestion is to enable traffic to more easily access the right roads, such as those designed for heavier traffic.

“When further combined with the Rapid Transit and the option to create a new Park and Ride/Choose off the Link Road, this has the opportunity to reduce traffic in the town further.”

“The question of how we manage the traffic demand generated by new homes is one which would exist whether the Garden Community was created or if those homes were developed in a more piecemeal way.

“The ability to create two significant pieces of infrastructure in the Link Road and the RTS which will support the Garden Community will have a significant impact.”