M25 Junction 28
The M25 Junction 28 is a heavily used junction. Credit: GRAHAM Group.

Construction and civil engineering company Graham has secured a contract from Highways England to transform the M25’s Junction 28 in Essex, UK.

Under the £124m contract, Graham will design and carry out critical improvement work at Junction 28 of the M25 between the M25 and the A12.

Junction 28 is a heavily used junction and is already operating at full capacity, with traffic queues and lengthy delays in the area expected to increase by up to 40% by 2037.

The work will be carried out by the construction company at the site, which is located between Brentwood and Romford.

Improvement work at Junction 28 is said to be one of the major projects planned within the south east.

The project has been designed to provide better access towards Essex and London.

It also aims to create better connectivity between Brentwood, Chelmsford and Colchester, as well as Suffolk and other key destinations.

The scheme’s proposals are the subject of an application for a development consent order (DCO).

The Planning Inspectorate, a government agency that is responsible for operating the planning process for DCOs, accepted the DCO application for formal examination.

Design work for the project was initiated late last year and construction is expected to begin early next year, subject to a decision on a DCO.

As part of the upgrade, Graham will be responsible for delivering a new two-lane loop road with the hard shoulder for traffic travelling from the M25 to the A12. It will also execute work on the A12 eastbound to maintain existing access to the Maylands Golf Course.

It will be responsible for an overbridge at the A12 eastbound exit road, which will allow the proposed loop road to join the A12 eastbound carriageway.

Graham will widen the M25 anti-clockwise carriageway to provide a proposed exit road and build a bridge over the M25 anti-clockwise entry road to facilitate a new loop road.

Graham Highways director Dave Brown said: “We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Highways England for many years, built on collaboration. By delivering this scheme we’ll be catering for the road’s future traffic demands, increasing capacity and reducing congestion.

“The improved link to the A12 will also enable development and support economic growth, providing significant benefits to the area.”