New motorway access in Taunton (From Somerset County Gazette)

New motorway access in Taunton

10:45am Saturday 3rd March 2007

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PLANS to dual the A358 from Taunton to Ilminster have been unveiled by the Highways Agency.

Maps and drawings have gone on show at an exhibition at the Holiday Inn, Taunton.

The Somerset County Gazette has been to the exhibition and a gallery of plans for key junctions is now on our website: click here to view the images.

In Taunton, the plans show a new junction at Haydon Farm, right next to Blackbrook Pavilion sports centre.

Land currently used for sports pitches would be turned into a loop for northbound M5 traffic to join the new A358.

The Highways Agency has said it would have to find replacement sports pitches.

Traffic using the new loop would travel over the M5 on a new flyover.

Residents of the nearby Holway and Blackbrook housing estates are already voicing their concerns.

At Southfields, Ilminster, the design of the junction is such that traffic between London and Taunton will flow without stopping past Ilminster.

Traffic wanting to leave the southbound A358 or westbound A303 would do so via new slip roads and roundabouts.

Plans for a new motorway style junction at Hayes End, South Petherton, have also been unveiled.

The £352million Highways Agency scheme, which is unlikely to start for at least seven years, aims to improve road safety and journey times for drivers travelling to and from the South-West.

The Government gave support in 2004 to the dualling of the A358 rather than the A303 across the environmentally sensitive Blackdown Hills.

Highways Agency regional manager David Wright said: "Following the decision by the Secretary of State, the Highways Agency has been preparing detailed plans so we can invite comments on the proposed route from statutory bodies, members of the public and elected representatives.

"This will be done before taking the scheme forward towards a Preferred Route Announcement, which will protect the route against future development."

Scheduled exhibitions are:

Friday, March 2, 10am-8pm and Saturday, March 3, 10am-4pm, Holiday Inn, Taunton;

Friday, March 9, 10am-8pm and Saturday, March 10, 10am-3pm, David Hall, South Petherton;

Friday, March 23, 10am-8pm, Village Hall, Ashill;

Saturday, March 24, 10am-4pm, Village Hall, Ruishton.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: "The future progress of the scheme is subject to availability of funding and advice from the South-West Region on regional transport priorities, including the priority given to improvements to the A303/A358 corridor.

"The current indication is that construction of the scheme will not start before 2014."

For a copy of the consultation document, follow a link below.

The Gazette wants to know what YOU think of the plans - post your comments using the Comment form below.

For the full story, don't miss the County Gazette on Thursday, March 8.

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