Southend drivers regain key routes as Queensway works continue

By AtheneNet
Published 13 August 2026 | Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council

Drivers and pedestrians can again use Sutton Road and Southchurch Road in Southend as the Queensway regeneration reaches its first confirmed reopening milestone. Some pavement areas are still being completed, so the work around the routes is not yet fully finished.

The reopening restores two connections through the town centre while the wider transformation of Queensway continues. It also brings back into view the people who built the original scheme half a century ago, including former concrete finisher Ken Waller.

Sutton Road and Southchurch Road are open again

Southend-on-Sea City Council says both roads are now open to vehicles and people on foot. Final finishing works remain in some pavement areas.

The council describes the reopening as a step towards improving connections through the town centre and delivering the longer-term Queensway project.

Town-centre journeys gain two restored connections

For people travelling through this part of Southend, the immediate change is access to Sutton Road and Southchurch Road after the regeneration works. Pedestrians can also use the reopened routes, although sections of pavement remain part of the final works.

The council has not set out a completion date for those remaining pavement areas in the supplied update. The road openings should therefore be read as a completed stage of the project rather than the end of all construction activity at Queensway.

Ken Waller remembers building the original Queensway

The milestone has prompted recognition of Ken Waller, who worked on Queensway around 1975. As a concrete finisher, he was part of teams of apprentices and experienced tradesmen involved in creating the original route, including laying thousands of its distinctive cobbles.

Waller also recalled seeing the original bridge lifted into place in one operation by a crane brought from Scotland. He said the project stayed with him throughout a career that included work on several Southend construction sites.

Residents initially needed encouragement to use the new underpasses and routes created by the original scheme, Waller remembered. His family knew his firm rule: they were to use the underpasses rather than cross the busy roads above.

“Queensway was built by hardworking people, from young apprentices to experienced tradesmen,” Waller said.

Pavement finishing works are the next visible stage

Council leader Cllr Daniel Cowan said the road openings honour the original Queensway workforce while the area is reshaped for the future. The council calls this the first milestone in a long-term transformation, with further work continuing after the reopening of Sutton Road and Southchurch Road.

Source: Southend-on-Sea City Council