A ROAD in Bridgwater will be closed to all traffic for around six months after ‘complications’ were discovered during work for a major improvement project.
Somerset Council and contractor Taylor Woodrow have announced a change to traffic management to help deliver the next stage of the Celebration Mile improvements safely and on time in Bridgwater.
The initial plan had been to carry out the remaining works on Eastover in Bridgwater under a one-way traffic control, but unmapped utilities under the road have made work more complicated and impossible to do safely without a full road closure.
There have already been several near-misses with traffic failing to comply with the current one-way system.
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Eastover will therefore be closed to all traffic from January 2 for up to six months - though the team will be doing its utmost to complete the works sooner.
Without a full road closure, the remaining work on Eastover is likely to take up to nine months.
Completing the work sooner should reduce some of the inconvenience to businesses. The full closure will also allow the team to complete works all in one go, rather than returning to the same stretch of road multiple times.
Eastover will remain open to shoppers and visitors throughout, and extra signs will make it clear the street is open for business.
Traders and affected residents are being kept up to date on the closure.
Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s lead member for economic development, planning and assets, said: “This scheme represents major investment in the town with the aim of making Eastover and the town centre a more attractive destination for visitors and shoppers and increase footfall across the town centre.
“With works of this scale, some disruption is unavoidable, and the team has taken the difficult decision that the best way to get this done quickly is a full road closure.
“This wasn’t the original plan, but as with all projects like this there are often unexpected complications that forces a change of approach.”
Celebration Mile is one of 11 projects being delivered as part of Bridgwater Town Deal which is bringing £23.2million of government investment through local projects, helping to boost the social, cultural and economic offerings in the town centre.
The project forms the ‘backbone’ town centre improvements, aiming to re-energise the centre of Bridgwater by making it more accessible and welcoming to shoppers, residents and visitors.