UK’s longest-running roadworks still going after 11 years: Witham bridge delays

Woodend Bridge roadworks in Witham, Essex have dragged on for 11 years—and residents are now being told the project may run 12 more months, at least into 2027/28.

Motorists in Witham, Essex have now lived with the same bottleneck for so long that it has become part of local life.

The decade-plus disruption centres on Woodend Bridge, which carries traffic over the A12 dual carriageway.. Since work began in 2015, drivers have faced a lane closure and temporary traffic lights while the bridge’s damaged infrastructure is dealt with—an ordeal that now appears set to continue for at least another year.

The delays trace back to crashes on the A12.. Three separate incidents left the bridge’s structure damaged, triggering repair plans that quickly collided with uncertainty over the wider A12.. At one point, the route was expected to be widened by adding a third lane to ease congestion.. But those widening plans were scrapped in July last year due to budget constraints, leaving the bridge works and the traffic management to stretch on.

A town council meeting earlier this month laid out the current expectation: work is not expected to finish until at least the 2027/2028 financial year. For residents and businesses, that timeline effectively turns “temporary” traffic controls into something closer to a long-term feature of the road.

That change has real consequences, not just on journey times but on local commerce.. One local business owner running a gaming studio said staff commutes that normally take minutes can balloon when the bridge traffic stacks up.. Getting from the studio to the station—described as a short drive—can become a slow crawl, with drivers stuck near the top of the road.. The concern is that prolonged disruption sends a wider message to investors and partners, especially for firms trying to grow in Witham.

There is also the mismatch between spending on traffic management and the pace of structural work.. While at least half a million pounds has reportedly been spent keeping traffic moving through the works, residents say no bridge upgrade work began during key stretches, intensifying frustration.. Reviewers have even turned the ordeal into a running joke online, posting comments that treat the traffic light system like a local attraction.

Part of the anger is linked to the way decisions around the A12 have shifted.. Locals say they were given a sense of momentum when widening was planned—then watched the plans collapse under budget limits.. For drivers, the effect is obvious: longer and less predictable journeys.. For agricultural users, it can be harder to route around.

One resident said farmers rely on the bridge to cross and reach fields, and they cannot simply swap to alternative access roads designed for general traffic.. With tractors and other agricultural vehicles, detours can create chaos, with even short trips becoming unexpectedly long.. The practical issue is that a road that should function as a reliable crossing becomes a place where delays can compound across the day.

Beyond Witham, the situation highlights a familiar tension in road infrastructure projects: when larger funding plans change, the knock-on effect can be years of “keeping things safe” without clear end dates.. Temporary systems—like lane closures and traffic light controls—are meant to reduce risk while repairs progress, but when the repair programme is pushed back, those systems start to feel permanent for the people who live with them.

Highways officials say the bridge repairs involve complex engineering work.. A National Highways spokesperson said a replacement bridge beam installation is scheduled for this year, and apologised for the inconvenience.. The company also described finalising a design that aims to cause the least disruption to drivers who rely on the A12 underneath, acknowledging that the duration of traffic management has been long.

For those waiting at Woodend Bridge, the latest messaging will likely feel less like a reassurance and more like another extension of the same cycle.. With an end date now pushed to the 2027/2028 financial year, the question for Witham is not whether the works will eventually happen, but how much everyday life—commuting, deliveries, and local business—can absorb before the disruption reshapes the town’s economy and confidence.