A MAJOR road will once again be closed to motorists this weekend as large-scale works resume after being postponed due to causing long delays. 

National Highways will shut part of the A12's northbound carriageway over the weekend to allow for essential work to be carried out.

Engineers are currently working on a £37 million project to remove and replace the road's old concrete road surface.

It is hoped the scheme will “improve safety, create a smoother quieter journey, and extend the life of the road to make it fit for the future.”

As a result, the A12 carriageway will be closed between Junction 25 at Marks Tey and its entry slip roads from 9pm on Friday until 5am on Monday.

Gazette: Delays - weekend works on the A12 will resume (Image: National Highways)Delays - weekend works on the A12 will resume (Image: National Highways) (Image: National Highways)

Traffic will have to exit the A12 at the junction's exit slip road but can travel over the roundabout to rejoin the road.

The closure comes after it was previously postponed following lengthy delays of more than one hour for drivers during the previous weekend shutdown in June.

Highways bosses made the decision to postpone the closure, which was scheduled to take place from June 30 to July 3, to allow for a full review to be carried out.

With the review now complete, a temporary part-time traffic lights system will be introduced at the Marks Tey roundabout to control the flow of traffic.

A spokesman for National Highways said: “During these closures, a clearly signed up and over diversion route will be in place, with temporary part time traffic lights on the roundabout.

“We expect this closure to cause long delays on the approach to junction 25 on the A12 northbound and the A120 in both directions.”

The upcoming closure is the second of six set to take place between now and August.

A spokesman for National Highways added: “We’re sorry for the disruption this work may cause to your journey."

National Highways bosses have now urged drivers to plan ahead.

Karl Brooks - National Highways programme delivery manager in the East Region - said: "We don't want anyone stuck in a car and queueing in congestion on a hot and humid weekend, so we took the decision to carefully look at the measures we put in place over that first weekend and see if there was anything we could do differently.

"Following that review we have put signs advising of the closure further away on the road network to alert drivers who could be heading towards the A12.

"We think that may help those travelling from further afield to change their plans and seek a slightly alternative route.

"We are also placing temporary traffic lights at the roundabout above junction 25.

"That will help us to control the flow of traffic at what is real pinch point for us as vehicles diverted off the northbound carriageway at junction 25, head over the roundabout and back onto the carriageway via the entry slip road."

For more information on the closures, go to A12 junction 25 Marks Tey to junction 26 Stanway - concrete roads reconstruction - National Highways.