WHETHER travelling by road or rail, we all accept maintenance work, and the disruption it brings, are an inevitable way of life.

We may get frustrated by the longer journey times and the disruption, but it is something we tolerate begrudgingly because we know the eventual end product is an improved transport network.

But that theory will be tested to its limit by the ongoing upgrade work taking place at the Nevendon junction with the A127, which threatens to cause untold misery to motorists for the next eight months.

Drivers were pulling their hair out yesterday morning as lanes were coned off on all approaches to the junction, causing huge tailbacks and ensuring many were significantly late for work.

The roundabout suffers from rush hour congestion at the best of times, so the lane closures inevitably meant there was bumper to bumper gridlock from all directions.

If this level of disruption continues for the next eight months, it will be a depressing task for most drivers totting up the amount of hours lost sitting in traffic.

But will the end product make the misery worthwhile? The project promises to create an extra lane on the roundabout and create filter lanes.

By the time the roadworks finally come to an end, highways bosses may have a tough job convincing embattled drivers it was all worth it.