ROADWORKS at a busy junction in Taunton town centre are to be EXTENDED until the autumn.

A multi-million improvement scheme to replace 40-year-old traffic signals in the Rowbarton area will now include extra works and tackle a range of complications discovered during construction.

The project, which began in March, was set to end at the end of July, but will now run into 'the autumn', according to Somerset County Council (SCC). 

SCC’s contractor, Alun Griffiths, has been working to replace the traffic lights at the busy junction, which have reached the end of their working life. 

It is hoped the new, state-of-the-art signals, including improved provision for cyclists and pedestrians, will ease congestion at the Kingston Road/Greenway Road, Kingston Road/St Andrew’s Road, and Cheddon Road/Priorswood Road interchanges. 

However, some of the issues that have been encountered to date include:

  • Service apparatus that is much shallower than expected including a gas main and high voltage cable.
  • Discovery of an old fuel tank
  • Thick layers of concrete and other surfaces

The  council says this has meant additional work to relocate the shallow services, remove the fuel tank, and excavate and remove more material from the site than originally expected. 

As a result, the scheme has been expanded to include full road surfacing across all affected roads, which means the work will continue into the autumn.

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READ MORE: Diversion in place as traffic lights work continues at busy Taunton  junction  

Councillor John Woodman, cabinet member for highways and transport at SCC, said: “This has been a particularly challenging scheme to deliver but we’re looking to take advantage to include major resurfacing work which will prevent further disruption in the future.

“This signal refurbishment is absolutely essential – the equipment has to be replaced now before it fails. It’s about ensuring we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate future growth and demand on our network.”