The course of the Roman road between the Roman town of Colchester and Gosbecks is well known and originates from the major road junction beneath the Colchester Royal Grammar School and runs directly to the east side of the religious complex at Gosbecks. Aerial photographs of this feature show four ditches in two pairs, creating a main central carriageway with ancillary tracks to each side. Previous investigations have failed to satisfactorily define the road.<1><2>

This excavation gave the first clear view of the road layout which confirms with the aerial photographic evidence; the presence of four ditches was confirmed. These are set out as two pairs, defining narrower areas or footways, each just over 2m wide, on either side of the central carriageway which was around 7m across. The road surfaces are likely to have been made of gravel, although no surfaces survive today. The ditches were slightly irregular, although generally around 1m wide and between 0.6m and 0.7m wide, with steep sides and broad, slightly uneven bottoms. There were very few finds from the ditches to indicate the construction date or date of abandonment. Tiny fragments of Iron Age/Roman pottery were found.<3>