Firepool and Taunton Station linked to Taunton road network
Major works to link the station’s multi-storey car park and the former livesotck market site to the town’s road network are now complete.
The four-month scheme crossing Trenchard Way into Firepool and opening up cycling provision and bus servies caused major traffic disruption during construction, which started at the end of January.
A Travel Somerset spokesperson said: “A vital scheme linking Taunton’s train station car park and Firepool development to the town’s road network with cycling provision and bus services is now operational.
“As well as helping to boost Taunton’s economy, the proposal will provide a route for buses to collect rail passengers directly from the station.”
The project has been jointly funded by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, the Government and Somerset Council.
The scheme was hit with major problems before it started when the original contractor pulled out and construction costs soared following the pandemic.
During the works, motorists using Trenchard Way faced temporary traffic lights, with full road closures kept to a minimum.
The Firepool junction has been staggered away from the car park junction, while Trenchard Way was resurfaced as part of the programme.
The new junction features cycle lanes connecting up to a new boulevard running through Firepool that will be partially paid for with the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, a regular user of Taunton Station, says the completion of the scheme will be “a huge relief” to his constituents in the Minehead[1] area.
He said: “A new junction at Trenchard Way is set to resolve congestion problems which have persisted since the station’s main entrance was moved to the down side and a new multi-storey car park was built.
“Drivers waiting to collect arriving passengers have been obstructing the concourse because of limited free parking, particularly when trains have been delayed.
“Meanwhile bus passengers travelling to Minehead have had to leave the concourse and cross to a stop in Station Road.”
Mr Liddell-Grainger said he had received many complaints from his constituents about the traffic arrangements at the station.
“This has been a total fiasco. An improvement scheme put in place without all the implications being thought through,” he said.
“I am now looking to the council, GWR and APCOA, the car park contractors, to ensure a smooth transition and manage traffic efficiently in future – including ensuring that drivers know there is free short-term parking.”