£15m Weston-super-Mare road plans announced

Date: 27/11/2012

Plans to spend £15 million on improving the road infrastructure around Weston-super-Mare have been given the go ahead.

Entitled the Weston Package, the (DfT) Department for Transport has approved the proposals submitted by North Somerset Council, which include improvement work on junction 21 of the M5.

Norman Baker, Local Transport Minister, added his backing to the project, saying that it is "a great scheme that will support employment, reduce congestion and make it easier for people using public transport."

As part of the improvements at junction 21 the southbound sliproad of the M5 and A370 approaches will both be widened.

Further to this, an extra lane will be added to the roundabout and a set of traffic lights put in place which are operated using a computer system.

This should mean that access to the M5 and A370 is improved with a better flow of traffic.

As well as the money which is coming from the DfT, the council is to make a contribution from its own budget to fund the work.

This will include a dedicated lane being created on the A370 outbound approach up to the roundabout on the motorway leading straight to the M5 northbound sliproad.

In terms of the improvements to Weston-super-Mare itself, a new car park is to be built at Worle station along with the creation of a bus interchange.

Queensway will be provided with better bus links to the station and Marchfields Way is to be turned into a dual carriageway on the stretch between Winterstoke and Drove Road roundabouts.

Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, Executive Member for Highways and Transport, said: "Behind the scenes, highways officers have been working really hard on the detailed planning of this package and I am very grateful for the long hours put in over recent months to ensure the scheme fully meets the DfT criteria and local expectations.

"I am now looking forward to seeing the first spade going into the ground as soon as possible."

Posted by Mary Treen

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