A key M5 roundabout between Bridgwater and Highbridge will be upgraded in the autumn after a £6.6m contract was awarded.
Somerset Council has appointed a contractor for the Bridgwater northern corridor, which runs from the Dunball roundabout to the Cross Rifles roundabout via the A38 Bristol Road.
The current Dunball roundabout will be upgraded to a ‘through-about’, with a new road being built through the centre of the roundabout to provide a direct link between the A38 Bristol Road from Bridgwater town centre and junction 23 of the M5.
In addition to creating more capacity for cars, vans and lorries, the scheme will include new walking and cycling links around the roundabout.
Work on the site is now expected to start in the early autumn after being delayed.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and digital, says: “Delivering these changes are strategically vital for Bridgwater, Somerset and the whole of the south west.”
Somerset County Council was awarded £10m from the government’s levelling up fund in October 2021 to deliver the improvements, notes the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Somerset Council announced in January it would be diverting money from the Cross Rifles element of the upgrade to deliver the Dunball roundabout improvements in light of high inflation within the construction industry.
To save money in the years ahead, the contract may be extended to include the planned £6.4m upgrade of the Edithmead roundabout in Highbridge and other nearby improvements to the A38 heading towards Bristol Airport.
Mr Wilkins spoke about the proposed upgrade when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton last week to give the go-ahead.
He said: “The Dunball roundabout improvement scheme aims to improve access to and from the strategic road network [the M5 and the A38], reduce congestion and unlock development opportunities in the area – especially in relation to Hinkley Point C and the Agratas gigafactory site.”
Work on the Dunball roundabout is scheduled to begin on September 30th and last for 12 months.
