A12 reopens after unexpected closure
National Highways East- Problems with the surface of newly-laid roads affected the A12 in Essex
- Work has been carried out near Colchester over the summer
- A lane had to be closed due to "an issue with the surface height"
- The entire northbound carriageway reopened in the early hours
A major dual carriageway in Essex has reopened after an unexpected lane closure.
National Highways engineers have been reconstructing the A12 between junction 25 (Marks Tey) and junction 26 (Eight Ash Green) near Colchester.
A spokesperson said they had closed one northbound lane on Monday because of "an issue with the surface height" of the new road that had been laid during the weekend.
An emergency closure of the entire northbound carriageway was in place from about 00:30 to 04:30 BST to help remedy the issue.
Traffic was diverted during the full closure at Marks Tey via the B1408 and A1124 at Copford and Tollgate.
The National Highways spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that the issue related to the surface height of the new road and how it "joins the carriageway where the contraflow starts".
Motorists had experienced delays of about 60 minutes on the northbound stretch.
Various sections of the A12, which date back to the 1950s, are being reconstructed and resurfaced.
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