National Highways lists no closures on the local M11 or A120 to 13 August. What is shut, the A10 Cheshunt plan, and why Northgate End is half the price to park.

Bishop’s Stortford’s traffic is shaped by three roads: the M11 at junction 8, the A120 bypass that feeds it, and the A1250 through Hockerill, which carries the town’s heaviest local flow and has no realistic alternative. Anything that shuts one of those is felt everywhere else.

This page covers what is genuinely closed now, what is coming, and the practical things that do not change month to month: the routes, the car park tariffs and where to look on the day.

What is closed on the strategic network

National Highways publishes a 7 day closure report covering every motorway and trunk road it manages. For the week of 7 to 13 August 2026, the report lists nothing at all on the M11 between junctions 7 and 8, and nothing on the A120 near Bishop’s Stortford.

The only two entries that touch this corridor are a long way from the town:

  • M11 northbound, junction 14 exit slip road, closed 21:00 to 05:00 on the nights of Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 August for carriageway reconstruction. That is the Cambridge end, 30 miles north, and only affects you if you are driving up the M11 late.
  • A120 westbound at Horsley Cross, closed 20:00 to 06:00 on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August for electrical works. Horsley Cross is near Colchester, at the far eastern end of the A120.

If you are heading south, the M25 is the one to plan around. National Highways has the anticlockwise carriageway between junctions 27 and 25 shut overnight from 22:00 to 05:30 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week for routine maintenance, and the junction 29 roundabout closed overnight on Wednesday and Thursday for road markings.

All of the above is from the National Highways road closure report, which is republished every week. If you are reading this later, download the current spreadsheet from that page rather than trusting the dates here.

Where to check local roadworks

This is worth saying plainly, because the usual answer has changed. Hertfordshire County Council does not run its own roadworks map. It points residents at one.network, the commercial platform used by councils and utility firms, and one.network now asks you to sign in before it will show the list view. The map still loads, but the searchable list of works no longer opens to an anonymous visitor.

For anything east of the town, the A120 beyond junction 8 is Essex County Council’s, and closure notices go up on Essex Highways. East Herts District Council has no roadworks function of its own and refers everything to the county.

The scheme that will actually change things: A10 Cheshunt

The largest highways project in the brand’s patch is not in Bishop’s Stortford at all. Hertfordshire County Council, working with Broxbourne Borough Council, is designing upgrades to three junctions on the A10 Great Cambridge Road through Cheshunt:

  • Church Lane, where right turns onto the A10 from both sides would be stopped and the signals retimed to push more traffic along the A10.
  • College Road, where the southbound A10 approach would be widened to three lanes and new pedestrian crossings added on the north and east sides.
  • Lieutenant Ellis Way and Winston Churchill Way roundabout, which would become a cut-through or “hamburger” roundabout, with straight-ahead lanes running through the middle so A10 traffic does not have to go round.

Underpasses and flyovers at Lieutenant Ellis Way were looked at through the Broxbourne Local Plan and dropped as too costly and too land-hungry. The scheme also adds walking and cycling routes along Church Lane and College Road, between Theobalds Lane and Albury Walk, and alongside the A10 between Church Lane and Halfhide Lane.

The council has run public engagement on the proposals and is refining the design using junction queue surveys; no construction dates have been published (Hertfordshire County Council). The council says bus services should not be affected, because almost nothing runs along that stretch of the A10 today.

The routes that matter

  • A1250 Hadham Road and Dunmow Road, through Hockerill. The town’s principal east to west route and its worst pinch point. It links Hadham Road in the west to the Dunmow Road climb up to the A120 in the east, through the Hockerill traffic lights. There is no parallel road.
  • A120 Bishop’s Stortford bypass to M11 junction 8. The route to Stansted, Braintree and the motorway. When it closes for overnight work, the signed diversion runs back through the town on the A1250, which is why bypass closures are felt on Hadham Road.
  • A1184 south to Sawbridgeworth and Harlow. Follows the Stort valley and is the road that floods at Spellbrook when the river comes up.
  • A10 through Waltham Cross, Cheshunt, Broxbourne and Hoddesdon. A separate corridor entirely, feeding the M25 at junction 25, and the subject of the scheme above.

Parking in Bishop’s Stortford, and the £3.70 you are probably wasting

East Herts Council runs eight car parks in Bishop’s Stortford. They do not all charge the same, and the difference for a full day is large.

Cost of parking in Bishop's Stortford, Northgate End against the standard town tariff Paired bar chart comparing East Herts Council car park charges in Bishop's Stortford. Northgate End multi-storey charges £1.05 for one hour, £2.10 for two, £2.70 for three, £3.30 for four, £3.80 for five and £4.40 all day. The standard tariff at Apton Road, Jackson Square and Link Road charges £1.25 for one hour, £2.50 for two, £3.70 for three, £5.00 for four, £6.20 for five and £8.10 all day at Apton Road. Northgate End is cheaper at every duration and £3.70 cheaper for a full day. Northgate End is cheaper at every single duration Monday to Saturday charges, East Herts Council car parks in Bishop's Stortford, August 2026. Northgate End multi-storey Apton Road, Jackson Square, Link Road 1 hour £1.05 £1.25 2 hours £2.10 £2.50 3 hours £2.70 £3.70 4 hours £3.30 £5.00 5 hours £3.80 £6.20 All day £4.40 £8.10 Jackson Square and Link Road are short stay, so five hours is their maximum. The £8.10 all-day figure is Apton Road. Sundays and bank holidays: £1.70 all day at Northgate End, £2.10 everywhere else. Christmas Day is free. Blue Badge holders park free for up to three hours in all of them. Apton Road gives 30 minutes free with a ticket.
A full day at Apton Road costs £8.10. The same day at Northgate End costs £4.40, and it is a five-minute walk further.

Northgate End (CM23 2ES) is the multi-storey, four levels, 482 bays, including 54 electric vehicle charging bays on PodPoint machines at 44p per kWh, and 31 blue badge bays. Vehicle access runs 07:00 to 23:00, exit is open 24 hours, maximum height 2.1 metres, and charges apply 07:30 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday. Jackson Square (CM23 3XQ) is the biggest at 708 spaces but is short stay only and stops charging at 18:30. The rest are Apton Road (86), Basbow Lane (71), Crown Terrace (65), Elm Road (47, long stay), Grange Paddocks (80 to 150 depending on the area) and Link Road (100).

Market traders have their own rate on Thursdays and Saturdays, the town’s two market days: £4.80 at Apton Road, £5.00 at Link Road.

All eight are covered by the council’s car park pages, which carry the individual tariffs and space counts.

Station parking

The station car parks are NCP, not council: a multi-storey on Anchor Street (CM23 3BP) and a surface car park beside the station (CM23 3BL). Both are a few minutes from the platforms. Journey times and season ticket prices are on our trains to London page.

Frequently asked questions

Is the M11 closed near Bishop’s Stortford?

No. For the week of 7 to 13 August 2026, National Highways lists no closures on the M11 between junctions 7 and 8. The only M11 entry is the junction 14 exit slip road at the Cambridge end, closed overnight on 10 and 11 August.

Where do I check Hertfordshire roadworks?

Hertfordshire County Council directs residents to one.network, which now requires a sign-in for its list of works. For the A120 east of junction 8, use Essex Highways.

What is the cheapest place to park all day in Bishop’s Stortford?

Northgate End multi-storey at £4.40, against £8.10 at Apton Road. On a Sunday it is £1.70, against £2.10 elsewhere.

Is there electric vehicle charging in Bishop’s Stortford town centre?

Yes, 54 PodPoint bays at Northgate End, charged at 44p per kWh. You pay for the charge and the parking separately, and there is a five hour maximum stay in a charging bay.

When are the Bishop’s Stortford markets?

Thursday and Saturday. Both Apton Road and Link Road car parks list a market trader tariff for those days.

What happens when the A120 bypass closes?

The signed diversion for the Bishop’s Stortford bypass has previously run back through the town on the A1250 Hadham Road and Dunmow Road, which is why bypass closures show up as town centre congestion. Check the specific notice, because the route varies with which section is shut.

Sources

Closure dates change at short notice and the National Highways report is reissued weekly. Check the current report and one.network before you set off. Last checked 9 August 2026.