M5 junction shuts for three months as £5.7m ‘concrete carriageway’ scheme begins

A key junction on the M5 in Somerset has closed for three months as a GBP5.7m road upgrade scheme finally gets under way after years of waiting. The A38 Chelston Link Road (known locally as the 'concrete carriageway') connects junction 26 of the M5 with the town of Wellington[1], several business parks on the edge of the town and numerous villages on the edge of the Blackdown Hills[2]. The junction officially closed at 9pm on Sunday (June 15)[3] as Somerset Council[4] and its contractor Heidelberg Materials began work on a major scheme to completely rebuild and resurface the road[5], which dates back to the construction of the M5 in the mid-1970s.

Until work is completed in mid-September, traffic seeking to reach Wellington from the M5 will have to use the neighbouring junctions[6] for Taunton[7] and Tiverton, with long delays expected on both stretches of the A38. The Chelston Link Road was constructed in 1974 to provide a connection between Wellington and the M5 to Taunton - with the southbound section towards Tiverton and Exeter not being completed until 1976. The surface of both the motorway junction and the link road has deteriorated in recent years, causing damage to vehicles and uncomfortable journeys for motorists.

In the coming weeks, Heidelberg Materials will break up the existing concrete road surface using the innovative "rubblization" technique[8], with the broke material being retained and recycle as sub-base for the new road. This approach (which is currently used for airport runways) will remove the need to extricate 7,300 tonnes of concrete from the site - saving 200 tonnes in carbon emissions and preventing around 1,130 lorry movements on local roads. The scheme will be split into four phases, with work beginning on the junction 26 roundabout and then moving north towards Wellington.

Phase one began on the western part of the roundabout on Sunday (June 15), with the motorway slip roads being closed to all vehicles (save for National Highways vehicles which need to access the nearby Chelston depot). Phase two, which concerns the eastern part of the roundabout, will get under way by the end of July and complete the construction of the road under the motorway itself. Phases three and four will involve the reconstruction and resurfacing of the Chelston Link Road itself between the two roundabouts, with much of this work being carried out concurrently with phases one and two wherever possible.

Phase three will concentrate on the section between Foxmoor Business Park and the M5 (with access to the former being maintained via the A38), while phase four will focus on the northern section leading towards Westpark 26. Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, said: "We've engaged widely with local people and businesses over the last few weeks - thank you to everyone who attended one of our public drop-ins. "It is fair to say from those conversations that most people recognise this work needs doing and welcome the fact the road is being replaced.

However, we do understand people have very real concerns about the road closure and there is no doubt this will be a very challenging scheme to deliver.

"Doing nothing would mean we continue to patch the road piecemeal which is expensive and will create sporadic long-term disruption, and ultimately it will still need replacing. We have secured the money from central government, and this is the only available window if we want to get this done. "When completed we will have a new, smoother, quieter road surface with better drainage so please bear with us and plan your journey carefully while work is under way." Of the GBP5.7m budgeted for the scheme, GBP4.783m comes from the Department for Transport (DfT) - from a grant secured by Somerset County Council[9] back in July 2020 - with the remainder being provided by other grants.

This scheme has to be carried out during this time - when the M5 is at its busiest during the summer holidays - to fit alongside other work being carried out by National Highways, and to ensure the agency can access its Chelston gritting depot ahead of the winter. Throughout the roadworks, the link road will be closed south of the Foxmoor Business Park, with traffic still being access these businesses from the north via temporary traffic lights (and a 20mph speed limit being in place).

National Highways route manager Jonathan Hill said: "We work with our local authority partners in planning all roadworks near our motorways and trunk roads or where works affect our junctions. The council shared their proposal, enabling quicker delivery of the scheme and a reduced period of disruption, and having reviewed their traffic modelling we were content that the level of impact and safety risks on the strategic road network were acceptable.

"We also required access to all four slip roads from October to run our winter maintenance programme from the Chelston depot, and this was also factored into the window for the council's scheme delivery. We will remain engaged with the council throughout the works and monitor disruption on the strategic road network." For more information on the scheme, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/major-refurbishment-of-junction-26-and-chelston-link-road .

For more details on these and other roadworks in your local area, visit www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/roadworks-and-travel.

References

1. ^ Wellington (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
2. ^ the Blackdown Hills (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
3. ^ The junction officially closed at 9pm on Sunday (June 15) (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
4. ^ Somerset Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
5. ^ began work on a major scheme to completely rebuild and resurface the road (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
6. ^ traffic seeking to reach Wellington from the M5 will have to use the neighbouring junctions (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
7. ^ Taunton (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
8. ^ will break up the existing concrete road surface using the innovative "rubblization" technique (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
9. ^ Somerset County Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)