AS reported in March on Thurrock Nub News Work and more recently last week, work to improve the Manorway close to homes in Stanford-le-Hope and Corringham will get underway in June.

Issuing an apology for the inconvenience, Thurrock Council has now confirmed that works will take place overnight for 16 nights from 1 June with road closures from 9pm until 5am on weeknights with diversions in place during these times.

A statement says: "The work will to help make the road quieter for use by heavy goods vehicles. The road will remain open during the day and at weekends. The council apologises for any inconvenience caused to residents by these works."

The cost of the work is a cause of some mystery locally, with Homesteads ward councillor Gary Byrne concerned that money that was originally offered by DP World London Gateway port has been used instead to fill some of the funding gap for the botched Stanford rail station project – meaning local council taxpayers will have to fork out more.

Local taxpayers are already likely to have to stump up millions from local budgets to cover the massive overrun of the A13 road widening project – another major infrastructure project from Thurrock Council that has run out of control – and the irony is that Thurrock Nub News can reveal that it may not be long before the whole Manorway and A13 roads are taken over by the government and Department of Transport.

Had the work been delayed for a couple of years national government would probably have picked up the tab and, in all probability, managed the A13 a lot better say commentators on the project.

In its Road Investment Strategy 2020-2025 the Department of Transport says: "We are currently in discussion with the relevant local highway authorities and Highways England with a view to making some changes during RP2 (2020 to 2025).

"In all cases this will require agreement about the precise extent of the change, and the completion of assessments of road condition, drainage, and so forth so that the receiving authorities are aware of the detailed nature of the assets they are gaining before we can proceed with the statutory processes."

The roads the Department of Transport wishes to take under its control and make trunk roads includes "the A13/A1014 from the end of the trunked A13 through to the recently-opened London Gateway Port, with a view to transfer to Highways England."

An informed source told us: "So all the controversial road widening works on the A13 and now the recently announced works on the Manorway look set to be handed over to Highways England. It leads to the question of how much money is it costing locally that might not need to have been spent?"

In making the announcement that the Manorway work is to begin next month the council has not given details of cost but does say: "The joint scheme sees Thurrock Council and DP World London Gateway working together to repair and replace the substructure of the road and add a new quieter surface to help dampen down the noise of traffic."

And Cllr Ben Maney, cabinet member for highways, added: "This work will bring huge improvements to the road and for residents living nearby.

"The work has been part funded by DP World London Gateway and by working together to carry out structural and surface improvements at the same time we can limit the disruption while making the best possible improvements to the road."

When initially announcing the work on the Manorway in March, the council indicated that DP World London Gateway would be funding the work, saying: "Replacement of the top layer comes as part of a Section 106 planning agreement from London Gateway.

"During these works the council has recommended the renewal and improvement of failing areas of substructure of the road to ensure that the new quiet surface layer will be as effective and hard-wearing as possible."

Cllr Byrne told Thurrock Nub News he believes that there is some subterfuge doing on and that the money as part of the 106 agreement for the Manorway has already been spent elsewhere.

He says: "The Tory-run council is once more not telling us what is going on and where money is coming from and what the final bill to us local taxpayers is. I have been informed by DP World London Gateway that they have already given £460,000 for the Manorway to the council but that has been spent on the station.

"And they have given the council £7.8 million towards the A13 widening so they don't expect to have to pump any more into that failed project too. I think it's fair to say DP World have pumped enough into the A13 and Manorway already, it's not their job to bail out Thurrock Council every time they make a mess of a major project.

"And you have to wonder why all this isn't ben run by the Department of Transport who it appears would be much better suited to doing things properly."