A MULTI-MILLION-POUND project to repair an 8km stretch of the M11 between Harlow and Stansted is under way, with traffic delays predicted.

Work, costing £6.3m, will be carried out in two 4km stages and is expected to last nine weeks.

The southern section will see the concrete carriageway repaired and strengthened and then resurfaced with a new thin wearing course.

Concrete repairs will be carried out on the northern section, before a thin wearing course is laid resurfacing, when the new link roads into Stansted Airport have been constructed in summer 2002.

Highways Agency project manager David Lee said: "The work is part of our plans to maintain and improve this section of the M11.

"New surfacing will repair the existing deteriorating concrete carriageway for a safer, quieter journey and will benefit both road users and local residents.

"It will also reduce spray, making journeys safer in wet weather."

He added: "Further improvements will include drainage channels alongside both carriageways and the provision of new safety fencing."

Diversions are being put in for safety reasons, with the occasional night-time closure of the northbound slip road at junction 8.

Contraflows and lane restrictions will be in force throughout the work, and a 40mph speed limit will be enforced by speed cameras. Drivers are asked to allow extra time for their journeys.