Brentwood Roadworks: M25 J28 Done, A12 Still Waiting

Almost every long journey out of Brentwood starts at one of four places: the Brook Street roundabout at M25 junction 28, the A12 slip roads, the A128 running north to Ongar or south to the A127, or the A1023 through the town centre. If one of those is shut, the others fill up. This page covers what has changed, what is still coming, and where to look for the closures that are live today.

M25 junction 28: the big one is essentially done

The junction where the M25 meets the A12 at Brook Street has been a building site since 2022. The scheme, costing between £140m and £170m, was designed around a junction already carrying up to 7,500 vehicles in a peak hour, with National Highways projecting a 30% traffic increase by 2037.

The headline piece is finished. A new two-lane loop road, taking traffic from the M25 anticlockwise onto the A12 eastbound towards Brentwood, opened in October 2025. Two other pieces opened earlier: a longer entry slip onto the M25 anticlockwise from the Brook Street roundabout in January 2025, and an 800 metre off-slip from the A12 eastbound down to the Brook Street roundabout in March 2025. Four new bridges were built along the way, including Maylands Bridge and Alderwood Bridge, and more than 21,000 trees and shrubs have been planted (National Highways, M25 junction 28 improvements).

What is left is finishing work on the new layout, plus routine structural inspections and drainage surveys on the slip roads and the loop. That work is done under overnight closures, typically 22:00 to 05:00, on named dates rather than continuously.

What it means for you: daytime journeys through junction 28 should now be running on the finished layout. If you are crossing the junction late at night, check the National Highways page for that week’s closures before you set off, because the diversions from an overnight slip-road closure can be long.

The A1023 walking and cycling scheme

As a condition of the consent for the junction 28 works, National Highways has to provide a walking and cycling route from Brentwood through the junction and into Havering. Essex County Council is developing the Brentwood end on its behalf: a one mile shared-use path along the southern side of the A1023 Brook Street and London Road, between the Brook Street roundabout and Kavanaghs Road, with new signalised crossings at key points. The council consulted residents and businesses on the proposals in October 2024 (Essex Highways).

Separate schemes for the section through the junction itself and onward into Havering are being delivered by National Highways and the London Borough of Havering.

The A12 widening: consented, not started

The A12 north of Brentwood is the other pressure point, and the widening scheme that would ease it is still in limbo. The A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme would take the road from two lanes to three in each direction between junction 19 at Chelmsford and junction 25 at the A120, rebuild junctions 19 and 25, remove junctions 20a, 20b and 23, and add two bypasses.

Development consent was granted on 12 January 2024. A legal challenge followed and was dismissed by the Court of Appeal, so the legal process is over. What has not happened is a start date: the scheme sits inside the Department for Transport’s wider capital review, and National Highways has not confirmed when construction would begin (National Highways, A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme).

The works are outside Brentwood borough, but the traffic is not. Anything that slows the A12 between Chelmsford and Colchester backs up through Mountnessing and Ingatestone.

The A127 at the Dunton end

Essex County Council submitted a Strategic Outline Case to the Department for Transport in July 2024, bidding for Major Road Network funding for a package on the A127. The proposals include realigning the carriageway at the Fortune of War junction, an additional eastbound lane between the Halfway House and Dunton junctions, walking and cycling improvements along the corridor and upgraded bus stops (Essex Highways).

The Dunton junction is the Brentwood borough end of that stretch, and it is the junction that will serve Dunton Hills Garden Village as it is built out. The bid is still with the Department for Transport, and a public consultation would follow approval, so nothing is committed yet.

The routes that carry Brentwood

• M25 junction 28 (Brook Street). The pinch point. Everything heading for the M25, the A12 or Romford passes through it.
• A12. Brentwood’s link to Chelmsford, Colchester and the A120. Delays here push traffic onto the A1023 and the back lanes through Mountnessing.
• A1023 (Brook Street, London Road, High Street). The old main road, now the town-centre spine, and the route of the planned walking and cycling scheme.
• A128. North to Kelvedon Hatch and Ongar, south through Ingrave and Herongate to the A127 at Dunton.
• A127. The southern boundary corridor, serving West Horndon and Dunton and connecting to Basildon and Southend.

Where to check what is closed today

Brentwood Borough Council does not publish a live closure list; its road closures page covers how to apply for one. For what is actually happening on the road, use these:

• Essex Highways interactive maps and live travel information carries a live traffic and roadworks map, a future roadworks map covering the next two weeks to twelve months, and traffic camera and car park space feeds for the county network.
• National Highways for the M25 and the A12, including overnight closure dates around junction 28.
• Radio Essex on 105.1 and 107.7 FM, BBC Essex on 95.3 and 103.5 FM carry live updates from the Essex Traffic Control Centre.

Parking in Brentwood

Brentwood Borough Council runs the town’s public car parks. Every one of them gives 30 minutes free once per vehicle per day, and every one is free on Sundays. Tariffs below are the council’s published rates.

Source: Brentwood Borough Council, Brentwood car parks and Shenfield car parks.

Coptfold Road is the cheap one for a short trip. An hour there costs £1.00 against £1.50 everywhere else, and three hours costs £3.00 against £3.50. If you are staying all day, William Hunter Way and Chatham Way at £7.00 for 24 hours beat King George’s Playing Fields at £9.00.

Two car parks, Sir Francis Way (17 spaces) and Eagle Way (80 spaces), are season ticket only, and the Shenfield pair also sell seasons, which is what most rail commuters use. Payment across the town is by MiPermit digital permit or cashless card, with cash accepted at some machines. Town Hall South is reserved for electric vehicles and only while charging.

Brentwood has no park and ride site. Commuters who drive to a station use the Shenfield or Brentwood car parks, which is why the Shenfield seasons sell out. Fares and journey times from each station are in our Brentwood to London trains page.

Country park parking

If you are driving to Weald or Thorndon country parks, they are run by Essex County Council and charge separately: £3.15 for an hour, £4.40 for two, £5.50 for four and £6.55 all day, payable by MiPermit app or on site by card. An annual Explorer Pass covers those and five other Essex country parks.

Sources

• National Highways, M25 junction 28 improvements
• National Highways, A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening scheme
• Essex Highways, consultation launched on proposed A1023 Brentwood walking and cycling scheme
• Essex Highways, funding bid submitted for A127 improvements package
• Essex Highways, interactive maps and live travel information
• Brentwood Borough Council, Brentwood car parks and Shenfield car parks
• Explore Essex, Thorndon Country Park

Roadworks change week to week. The scheme information above was checked on 9 August 2026; always confirm live closures against the Essex Highways and National Highways maps before you travel.