STORT Valley and surrounding villages are celebrating news of a £112.2m government traffic relief scheme to cope with the growth of Stansted Airport.

The traffic-busting measures will see congestion alleviated at busy junction eight of the M11 by providing slip roads between Stansted Airport and the motorway, at a cost of £24.7m.

And a huge £87.5m will pay for the improvement of the A120, with a dual carriageway being constructed from Thremhall Avenue, Stansted Airport, running through to the western end of the Braintree by-pass, near Panners.

The complementary schemes were announced in the Government's new Deal for Trunk Roads in England, which was published on Friday and aims to deliver a road network to meet the needs of the Millennium.

However, a proposal to widen the M11 between junctions eight (Stansted) and nine (Great Chesterford) was thrown out by the Government as it was not considered an "appropriate or sustainable solution".

Applauding the agreed projects, Uttlesford District Council leader Robert Chambers said: "I'm delighted about the A120 scheme because the road would have been gridlocked if this was not given the go-ahead.

"The improvements will certainly benefit the traffic flow on the M11, but more importantly, the east/west route from Harwich to Oxford."

And Stansted Airport spokeswoman Rona Young said: "We're very delighted that the scheme has been given the green light as it will be of great benefit to the local community.

"It's a fitting conclusion for all the efforts made by so many people to pressure the Government to keep the A120 scheme in the roads programme. It will provide much better access to the M11."

The new schemes are part of the Government's bid to support the expansion of Stansted Airport and provide a safe and healthier environment for its surrounding communities.

Leader of East Herts District Council Bob Parker welcomed the plans but said it was a shame the Government did not pick up on local knowledge much sooner.

He said: "The congestion on the A120 is always blamed on the poor old motorist but this proves that the road network is at fault. The A120 has been horrific over the last couple of months."

Takeley resident Tricia Barber, an executive member of the North West Essex and East Herts Preservation Society, felt the new road would bring "much-needed relief" to Takeley.

But she added that work on the airport slip roads should be carried out before the A120 improvements to prevent a jam at the M11 airport roundabout. She also had concerns that a new A120 could bring with it unwelcome industrial developments.

Preservation society chairman Norman Mead said: "The work will certainly help Takeley, which suffers from much congestion and noise pollution, but the price we have to pay is less countryside."~

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.