A multi-million pound upgrade to a key roundabout near the M5 in Somerset will not be scrapped to fund additional defence spending, Somerset Council has confirmed.
Somerset Council has been working with North Somerset Council on a range of schemes to improve the A38 between the M5 and Bristol Airport, in a bid to shorten journey times, cut congestion and improve road safety.
The schemes - known collectively as the 'A38 Major Road Network' programme - include transforming the Edithmead roundabout in Highbridge (near junction 22 of the motorway) into a 'throughabout', similar in design to the recently-finished Dunball scheme in Bridgwater.
Following the news that Centregreat was in line to deliver the Edithmead scheme, reports surfaced on social media that the A38 programme would be scrapped by central government in order to increase defence spending.
But Somerset Council has strongly denied that this is the case - with the Department for Transport (DfT) expected to approve the final business case in the coming months.
Then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced in late-June that he would increase defence spending by £15bn over the next four years, with the funding being sought from savings within the DfT and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
Two schemes elsewhere in the UK have already been officially cancelled: the A46 Newark bypass in Lincolnshire, and improvements to the A38 in Derby.
Somerset Council confirmed in a short statement that Mr Starmer's announcement - which will be implemented by his successor Andy Burnham - would not jeopardise the funding of the Edithmead scheme or the wider programme of A38 improvements in Somerset.
A spokesperson said: "The funding of the A38 major road network schemes will not be impacted by this announcement."
While the total cost of the A38 schemes is expected to be around £30m, the value of Centregreat's successful tender (which includes the Dunball scheme and the A38 schemes within Somerset Council's boundaries) is estimated at £12.8m, according to tendering reports published by central government.
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The tender documents identify three schemes which will be taken forward by Somerset Council:
- Turning the Edithmead roundabout into a signalised 'throughabout', allowing traffic from the M5 to move more easily onto the northbound A38 Bristol Road towards Cheddar and Weston-super-Mare
- Remodelling the Cross junction (where the A38 Bridgwater Road meets Old Coach Road and Cross Lane, near Axbridge) to create a staggered crossroads with a safer pedestrian crossing
- Improving the Shute Shelve crossing near Axbridge, which forms part of the Strawberry Line active travel route
Peculiarly, the fourth improvement scheme - focussed on traffic calming measures in Rooksbridge - is not included within the tender (meaning it may be taken forward by a different contractor or been removed to cut costs).
The forward plan of the council's executive committee - a list of major decisions which will be taken at future meetings - includes a decision on "preparatory works at the Edithmead roundabout", which will build off the previous work to remove all the trees and vegetation from the junction.
This decision is expected to come before the executive once the final business case has been approved, with the council subsequently set to confirm the start date for its schemes along with details of any diversions.
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