GETTING to school will be safer and quieter for pupils at a village school after the summer holidays.

A bus gate is being installed on Bridgwater Road, Monkton Heathfield, just north of the Milton Hill junction.

Work should start on Monday, July 3, and take eight weeks, with the section of Bridgwater Road and the Milton Hill junction closed to traffic during the work.

When the route re-opens, it will only be able to be used by buses, with all through traffic directed along the new A38 Eastern Relief Road.

West Monkton Primary School head teacher Ian Robinson said: "We very much support the introduction of a bus gate to reduce the amount of traffic that currently uses the A38 past our school.

“It will provide parents and children with a much safer environment and will hopefully encourage more families to leave the car at home and walk to school instead.”

The scheme is being paid for by developers Persimmon and Redrow - who are building thousands of homes locally - along with the construction of the relief road, improvements to Bridgwater Road, including a new frontage near the school and local centre, a new 20mph zone and traffic calming Cllr John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “The installation of the bus gate is the next major step which will make a huge difference to those living in the area, particularly those walking to the new primary school.

“We recognise the closure of the Milton Hill junction will be disruptive, particularly for those accessing Heathfield School, but the good news is we’ve worked with the developer to reduce their 10-week programme to eight weeks and the bulk of it will take place over the school summer holidays.”

Cllr Mark Edwards, chairman of the Monkton Development Board at Taunton Deane Borough Council, said: “It is vital that these improvements in local transport networks are progressed to improve traffic flow and the safety of all residents as the area has developed.

"The master-planning of the Monkton development forms a critical part of Taunton’s ambitions and its special status as a garden town.”

A Persimmon Homes spokesman said: “We are pleased to be able to implement the next phase of highway network improvements.”