MOTORISTS are being warned to prepare for major delays as engineers get ready to carry out improvement works at a busy junction.

Roads surrounding the Bell junction are set to be closed for two weeks from tomorrow morning to allow for a traffic survey to be completed.

Access to Denton Approach to and from the Southend-bound A127 will be closed and the right-hand turn at the traffic lights on the Bell junction from the London-bound A127 into Rochford Road will also be closed.

The closures will be round the clock for the two-week period.

They are part of Southend Council’s preparations to support the Bell junction improvement scheme - a £5 million bid to improve traffic flow at one of the borough’s busiest interchanges.

The A127 will remain open in both directions.

Ron Woodley, councillor for transport, capital and inward investment, said: “The traffic survey is an essential part of understanding how motorists use the junction and the number of vehicles passing through.

“While we apologise for any inconvenience caused, the closures are important to get accurate results for the survey and for the development of the future plans for the junction.”

In October last year, cabinet members approved plans for a new layout at the junction.

This included a dedicated left-turn lane from the A127 Southend-bound to Rochford Road in a bid to give traffic going straight ahead a freer run.

This would require the removal of the footbridge to make room for the additional lane.

It would also involve the removal of the right-turn lane onto Hobleythick Lane and Rochford Road. Works are expected to be completed by 2021.