'Fish Road' created under A38 at Newton Abbot
Better fish access has been created under one of Devon's key transport routes by installing a new culvert.
National Highways say the £168,000 change allows fish and eels to move more freely - after an Environment Agency report raised concerns about the migration on the River Lemon
Environment Agency Project Manager James Cooper added: “The River Lemon is currently failing its Water Framework Directive objectives, with barriers to fish migration considered to be one of the key pressures facing migratory fish populations in the catchment.
“This project provides a vital contribution towards unblocking the whole river for migratory fish and eels, and it supports ongoing work being carried out by the Environment Agency and other partners to tackle all of the significant barriers to fish migration on the River Lemon, which will significantly improve the status of fish populations."
Mark Fox, National Highways’ Head of Scheme Delivery for the South West, said: “At National Highways, our work goes beyond operating, maintaining and improving roads, and through our Environmental and Well-Being Designated Funds, we're investing in the environment and communities surrounding our network.
“We’ve worked closely with the Environment Agency and Westcountry Rivers Trust, together with Kier, Fishtek Consulting, ID Verde and Castleford Engineering, to realise this project which will help support aquatic biodiversity at a location close to the A38.
“It also underlines our commitment to reducing the impact of our roads on the environment – in this case by modifying a structure originally provided during the construction of the road.”