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Somerset pledges £1.5m funding to ease Bristol Airport to M5 traffic

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The Edithmead roundabout at Junction 22 of the M5 will become a "throughabout"

Journey times between the M5 and Bristol Airport could be cut after Somerset County Council pledged £1.5m towards a major road scheme.

In all, nine ideas are being considered to improve traffic flow along the A38 between Bristol and Highbridge.

North Somerset Council will also be involved, with the two authorities hoping to submit a joint plan to the UK government by the end of 2021.

Plans include upgrading Junction 22 at Highbridge, and widening roundabouts.

The two authorities' formal consultation on the proposals concluded on 1 August, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Somerset County Council has now confirmed it will directly contribute £1.5m towards the schemes on its side of the county border following the receipt of £6.657m additional grant funding from the Department for Transport (DfT).

Of the remaining funding, £750,000 has been spent on emergency road repairs following the flash floods in Chard in late-June, with the rest being split between various maintenance programmes.

"This is a local contribution to major highways schemes... to ensure that the required 15% local contribution to the Somerset element of the works can be provided, levering in approximately £8.5m government funding to fund works in Somerset." said Mike O'Dowd-Jones, of Somerset County Council.

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The proposals include schemes along the A38 designed to help traffic flow

The nine schemes being considered as part of the work are:

Somerset County Council:

  • Turning the Edithmead roundabout at Junction 22 of the M5 into a "throughabout", allowing traffic to reach both Highbridge and the motorway more quickly
  • Speed control measures in Rooks Bridge, including new 30mph speed limit signs and high-friction red surfacing at entrances and key junctions
  • Staggering the Cross Junction near Axbridge to improve visibility, with articulated lorries no longer being able to turn left onto Old Coach Road

North Somerset Council:

  • Enhancing the existing Strawberry Lane crossing at the A38 Bridgwater Road north of the Cross junction to encourage cycling in the local area
  • Widening footways on Sidcots Lane in Winscombe to make the A38 Bridgwater Road safer for pedestrians
  • Realigning the A38 in Langford to provide better pedestrian and cycling links between new housing and existing facilities in the village
  • Widening the approach lanes for the two roundabouts near Bristol Airport to provide additional capacity and cycle lanes
  • Widening the existing footpath on the A38 Bridgwater Road in Barrow Gurney to provide better cycling facilities near National Cycle Network route 26
  • Upgrading the junction between the A38 Bridgwater Road and the B3130 Barrow Street near the Bristol Water treatment works