DRIVERS are warned to expect delays on the A39 when work is carried out ahead of the construction of a huge ‘gigafactory’ in Somerset.
Traffic controls will be in place in Bridgwater next month when underground cabling work gets underway for the Agratas battery facility, which will be built at the Gravity site between Puriton and Woolavington, near the M5.
Contractor JSM Group Services Ltd will connect cables from the Gravity site to Bridgwater’s electricity substation. The new factory is expected to provide around 4,000 jobs.
The first phase of the project on Westonzoyland Road and Bower Lane is almost finished, and further work on Bower Lane and the A39 Bath Road start soon.
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The southern section of Bower Lane is scheduled to be closed in phases from Monday, September 9, until late December.
Work is also due to start on the A39 Bath Road on September 19 which will run until mid-November, with a one-way system from Crandon Bridge to the junction with Bower Lane. Traffic will only be able to travel towards Bridgwater. The signed diversion route will be via Junction 23 and then south via the A38.
Diversions will be clearly signposted and access maintained at all times for directly affected businesses and homes.
Any one-way arrangements will be lifted for the carnival season between October 30 to November 4. Traffic management is scheduled to be paused over the festive period, between December 2 and January 2.
At the start of the New Year, traffic controls will also be needed on the A39 Puriton Hill. Details are being confirmed and Somerset Council will provide further information when it is ready.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, lead member for transport and digital, said: “The benefits for jobs and the economy that come with this huge investment are well known and hugely important to the county’s future.
“A development of this scale needs supporting infrastructure, and that usually means work on the highway with some unavoidable disruption.
“Much of this will be unfolding in the coming months and includes significant work on the A39. We’re working closely with everyone involved to coordinate the works and limit the disruption.”