The county's roads network is in danger of being swamped by soaring traffic levels as thousands more homes spring up across Essex.
County council traffic chief Rodney Bass today said the 50-year-old road system would be unable to cope with traffic within 15 years.
The warning comes as highways chiefs urge people to help shape the future of transport in Essex over the next five years.
They are drawing up blueprints for the county's roads, which are expected to come under increasing pressure as the population continues to rise.
The transport plan will pinpoint where cash needs to be spent and how much money the Government should be asked to pump into projects.
Mr Bass said: "Over the last two years, we have invested £300m in the county's transport system, including building new roads such as the A130, A120 and A131, and setting up the Essex traffic control centre, which will be the first of its kind in the country to tackle congestion by monitoring traffic problems and helping people to avoid them.
"We have to balance this with the fact that Essex could face many thousands of new homes by 2020, which can not be sustained by a road network designed for the 1950s."
Published Wednesday July 7, 2004
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