Essex County Council has revealed the amount it has spent on a now defunct bus gate scheme.

The county council’s Baddow Bus Gate proposal, which would have stopped cars travelling westbound between Meadgate Avenue and the Army and Navy roundabout in Chelmsford, had been heralded as a solution to congestion on the roundabout.

But it was widely condemned by residents and opposition group Great Baddow East Neighbourhood Association (GBENA), the members of which feel traffic would worsen and business harmed as a result.

Now a Freedom of Information request has revealed the total spend on the Baddow Bus Gate was £79,718.92.

However the council said this is part of the of the overall spend for the Chelmsford City Growth Package – a £15 million pot from  the government to help alleviate pressure on Chelmsford’s road network.

These costs include the additional engagement the council carried out in May 2018 at the request of the local Neighbourhood Association, which includes advertisements, venue hire, a series of public information videos, leaflet delivery, venue hire and attendance from consultants at the events.

It also includes scheme development and modelling and literature to support the events.

Earlier repairs to the flyover which added extra rigidity to the structure are believed to have precipitated even worse damage when hot weather led to expansion of the metal frame, which was not allowed to flex properly.

That in turn subsequently led to significant movement of the footings.

The serious nature of the damage, that has closed the flyover “indefinitely”, has led to the abandonment of the bus gate plans.

The county council had proposed that during weekday peak hours of 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm, the bus gate would use a camera to prohibit northwest bound Baddow Road traffic from travelling past the junction with Meadgate Avenue.

It would only allow buses, taxis, motorcyclists and cyclists to pass this point between 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.

A consultation period on the plans was launched on July 17, 2017 and closed after six weeks on August 28.