A NEW cycle bridge across one of Somerset’s main railway lines could be delivered in the coming years following a £6.6m upgrade of two crucial roundabouts in Bridgwater.

Somerset County Council was awarded £10m from the government’s levelling up fund in October 2021 to deliver improvements to the ‘Bridgwater northern corridor’, which runs from the Dunball roundabout to the Cross Rifles roundabout via the A38 Bristol Road.

Its successor, Somerset Council, announced in January that 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.

The council’s executive committee has now appointed its chosen contractor for the northern corridor improvements – with work expected to begin at the Dunball site in the early-autumn.

Under the same contract, small-scale improvements will be made to the Cross Rifles roundabout, making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists to access local shops.

Once these two schemes have been completed, the council hopes to deliver a new cycle bridge which will link Cross Rifles to Bridgwater and Taunton College, providing a safe route over both the railway and the A39 Bath Road.

Jo Patterson, the council’s service manager for transport infrastructure commissioning, explained the rationale behind the Cross Rifles improvements when the council’s executive committee met in Taunton on August 5.

She said: “Since the levelling up funding was awarded, the programme has faced inflationary cost increases for both the Dunball and Cross Rifles projects.

“The project team, senior officers and the lead member (for transport and digital – Councillor Richard Wilkins) have concluded that we do not have funding to deliver both projects as they were originally proposed.

“There are also significant project risks for the Cross Rifles schemes around the substantial land acquisition required, which had a forecast cost of around £2.5m, and there would be significant delivery changes in this location.”

Under the revised proposals, the existing pedestrian crossings on the A38 Bristol Road and the A39 Bath Road will become signal-controlled crossings, providing a safe route for pedestrians and cyclists approaching the Leggar business park from the east.

New crossings will also be installed at the junction of The Clink and The Leggar (allowing people to cross from Church Street and the recently completed housing development) and on the roundabout within the business park, near the town’s McDonald’s restaurant and drive-thru.

These latter elements will help to deliver the southern end of the ‘purple route’ within the Bridgwater local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP), which will eventually run all the way to the Gravity enterprise zone via the River Parrett, the Dunball roundabout and the existing Puriton footbridge.

Finally, a new pedestrian and cycling bridge will be constructed over the railway line on the northern side of the A39 Bath Road, linking up with a enhanced crossing at the entrance to Bridgwater and Taunton College.

In addition to providing a safer route for school pupils, this new crossing will also make it easier for residents to access the town’s football club, rugby club and the McMillan Theatre.

The first two elements – the crossings at Cross Rifles and The Leggar – will be delivered solely using elements of the levelling up fund grant, which must be spent in its entirely by April 2025.

The new cycle bridge and college crossing will be delivered later, with initial design work being funded through the government grant and the delivery being paid for through contributions from local housing developments.

Councillor Ros Wyke, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, said: “It would be interesting to have a look and see whether we can do something about the rest of the road between Cross Rifles and the college.

“That should be perhaps looked at as a bigger package, given that we now have a few thousands students at the college and we do need to improve the safety on that road.”

Council leader Bill Revans – who used to teach at the college – concurred: “Having cycled that road twice daily for many years, I know first-hand how dangerous it is. There have been many near-misses.”

Councillor Leigh Redman (whose Bridgwater North and Central division includes the Cross Rifles roundabout and the college) was a vocal critic of scaling back work on the roundabout, accusing the council of “giving up” on Bridgwater when it was first announced.

Speaking on August 5, he said: “The reason that the roundabout work was going forward was to increase capacity.

“The people of Bridgwater, for a long time, have been suffering from lots of pinch points throughout the town.

“We’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long, long time, and the fact that we’ve had to remove that element is frustrating – that’s an understatement.

“We would ask that reviews are made on a regular basis, with the hopeful intent of grabbing some government money from the new government – should it arrive – at the earliest opportunity to increase capacity.

“The work that we’re doing in and around the Celebration Mile have the potential of increasing traffic flow through this roundabout, including changing East Quay and Salmon Parade to one-way.”

Mr Wilkins responded: “I do appreciate your frustrations, but I’m glad you understand the reasons for our way forward.”

Sunita Mills, the council’s head of transportation, added: “We will commit to keeping the Cross Rifles junction under review, understanding where there might be potential funding in the future.

“Of course, the work that we’ve done gives us that opportunity, should a funding pot become available, that we can bid for that.”

Work on the Dunball roundabout is scheduled to begin on September 30 and last for 12 months, according to the council’s official roadworks portal.

The start dates for work on the improved crossings around the Cross Rifles roundabout have yet to be confirmed.