£10.5 million for essential Devon road improvement schemes (From Mid Devon Star)

£10.5 million for essential Devon road improvement schemes

9:19am Wednesday 17th October 2012 in News

A Devon County Council-backed bid by the Highways Agency has drawn £10.5 million to fund three essential road improvement schemes in Devon.

Council Leader John Hart says the schemes, on the A38 Drumbridges roundabout at Newton Abbot; Junction 30 of the M5; and the busy A38/A380 Splatford Split, will boost the economy.

Cllr Hart congratulated officers involved with the successful bids for Government funding. He said that he is pleased that the Council’s hard work has been rewarded, and that he’s looking forward to working closely with Highways Agency to help deliver the schemes.

To be completed by March 2015, the schemes will involve: Construction of a pedestrian and cycle bridge at the A38 Drumbridges roundabout, Newton Abbot, and widening of the roundabout itself to increase capacity. Signalling will be introduced to improve traffic flow and help pedestrians and cyclists. At a cost of £4.1 million, plus contributions from development and other sources, Cllr Hart said, “the scheme will help unlock development in Newton Abbot and Teignbridge.”

The southbound off slip road at Junction 30 of the M5 at Exeter will also be widened, supporting major growth at sites East of the city, at a cost of almost £1million.

And at the Splatford Split, one of the county’s busiest junctions, £5.5 million will add an extra lane for traffic from the A380 merging with the A38, improving traffic flows to Teignbridge and Torbay.

The funding is part of the the Government’s £220 million National Pinch Point programme to remove bottlenecks on England’s major roads.