A new £32 million viaduct has been opened by Roads Minister Andrew Jones in Essex.

The A138 Chelmer Viaduct was built by GRAHAM Construction and officially unveiled today, 13 April.

The three-lane structure is 900 metres long and replaces the old two-lane 1930s bridge which is set to be demolished.

Around 1,800 tonnes of steel was used to build the structure, including 104 beams.

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In addition, around 48,000m3 of earth was moved while 10,500 sq m of surfacing was laid to complete the project.

Overall, the project has involved building a new road bridge, three lanes of carriageway, a shared footway/cycleway and a new footpath.

Some BT cable work, lighting and final joint work is still to be completed and this will begin on 18 April.

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said: "I am delighted that we have delivered this much needed new bridge with an extra lane which will help cut journey times for hard working people in Chelmsford and deliver economic growth."

The project is part of the government's £15 billion roads investment programme.

(LM)