'Challenging' A30 resurfacing scheme completed earlier than planned
Somerset Council have confirmed the repairs to a section of the A30 have been delivered on-budget and earlier than anticipated
A 'challenging' road repair scheme on the A30 has been delivered both on-budget and ahead of schedule.
Somerset Council's highways teams resurfaced 7,000 square metres of the high street in West Coker, and replace the ageing traffic lights.
It's part of the local authority's £16.6 million refurbishment programme across the county.
The scheduled finish date of the works originally was Monday 4 September, but the teams have delivered the new road surface and traffic signals over a week early, with work completed by Friday 25 August.
Somerset Council’s Chair, Councillor Mike Best was on hand to officially open the road during a ‘rope cutting’ ceremony, with the rope chosen because of the village’s historic connection with rope making.
In the 1800s, the works in the village, now a museum, supplied the Royal Navy with much of its rope.
Somerset Council say a 'package of measures' were introduced during the works, to minimise the level of disruption on locals.
Those included:
- Free shuttle bus services between West Coker and Yeovil and between West Coker and Crewkerne, to replace key services which couldn't run during the duration of the works
- 24-hour staffing of gates at either end of the A30 to make sure residents and businesses had full access
- An on-site dedicated community liaison officer Mondays to Fridays
- A public drop-in event to flag any concerns
Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Digital, said: “It was imperative we carried out these works as the traffic signals had to be repaired and in addition to this the road surface in West Coker was in urgent need of attention.
“The work was originally planned for last year but logistically that wasn’t possible. The planning and preparation for this scheme has been exemplary thanks to great partnership working between our contractor Centregreat and the Somerset Council team – not to mention the fantastic support from local Council members and West Coker Parish Council, who have been pivotal in the smooth running of the scheme.
“Most importantly, I’d like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the local community who have been patient and supportive during a challenging time, with the main A30 route through their village closed for just over a month.”
The scheme is part of Somerset’s £16.6 million signals refurbishment programme which is a county-wide initiative replacing traffic signals which have reached the end of their working life.
The opportunity was taken to carry out a significant resurfacing scheme alongside the signals work as the road surface was showing clear signs of wear and tear.
You can report any road concerns on the Somerset Council website.