A303 dualling: Work that could cost £250m approved

A critical section of the A303 in Somerset will be upgraded to a dual carriageway after work that could cost up to £250m was approved.

The Department for Transport approved the scheme on Friday, with work expected to start later this year and be completed by 2024.

About three miles between the Podimore Roundabout near Ilchester and the Sparkford Bypass will be dualled.

Highways England has said the scheme will cost between £100m and £250m.

The work will largely follow the route of the current A303.

Nick Harris, Highways England's acting chief executive, said the work would "create a free-flowing and reliable connection between the South East and South West".

On an average day, about 23,500 vehicles use the stretch of the A303 that will be improved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But use increases significantly in the summer and is it a common route for people travelling to the Glastonbury Festival from London and the South East.

Lee Nathan, South West regional chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said upgrading single carriageway sections of the A303 was "key to supporting the South West economy".

Other work on the A303 near Stonehenge, including a tunnel near the ancient monument, was approved by the Department for Transport in November.

But campaigners have vowed to challenge the legality of the tunnel in court after raising £50,000 last month.