Friday, March 3, 2017Traffic flow is set to improve on the A370, a major route linking M5, the Enterprise Area and Weston-super-Mare Town thanks to a £1m road improvement scheme.
The scheme at West Wick roundabout and Elmham Way, near Morrisons, is being carried out ready for the creation of the North South link road which will run between the A371 and Churchland Way – improving access to the new community of several thousand homes in Parklands Village and the associated employment opportunities in the Junction 21 Enterprise Area.
The work will be carried out in two phases, with the first one to install traffic lights where traffic joins the West Wick roundabout from the A370 Somerset Avenue (in both directions) and Elmham Way due to start on Monday 27 February.
The second phase will see a new lane created on Elmham Way, on the approach to the Bransby Way/Elmham Way/Rowan Place roundabout. The road will not need to be widened to cater for this new lane – instead the position of the refuge islands will be adjusted and the bus lane shortened.
The scheme will continue through the spring and should be completed before the summer holidays begin.
Cllr Elfan Ap Rees, North Somerset Council’s deputy leader and executive member whose portfolio includes highways and economic development, said: “Weston is an area that is continuing to grow and develop. The traffic lights and extra lane will improve traffic flow in and out of the town and reduce congestion, meeting the needs of both residents and commuters.”
“The majority of the work will take place under narrow lanes and lane closures, with access to properties and businesses maintained. We will need to close the road when it is due to be resurfaced, which is likely to be done overnight, but we will give as much notice as possible,” added Cllr Ap Rees.
Approximately £795,000 of the funding is from the government’s Local Growth Fund with the rest of the money coming from section 106 contributions and the Joint Local Transport Fund. The scheme is being delivered by Skanska on the council’s behalf.
To keep up-to-date on any road closures for this scheme you can visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/westwick or keep an eye on the council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Further detail information can be found in the attached PDF.
The construction of the North South link was given the go-ahead by the council’s planning and regulatory committee earlier this month, with work on the southern section likely to get under way in early summer.
