M5 link road closure means popular bus service suspended for months
Falcon Buses will temporarily cease services in the town of Wellington for a few months during this year. It will take place when they M5 link road is closed for major resurfacing works. Somerset Council[1] announced in late-April that it would finally begin an upgrade to the link road in mid-June[2] - almost five years after the Department for Transport (DfT) provided the bulk of the necessary funding[3].
But concerns have been raised about the volume of traffic that would be diverted onto the A38 and smaller local roads, claiming it will lead to increased congestion at one of the busiest times of the year. The Chelston link road (also known as the 'concrete carriageway') connects junction 26 of the M5 to Wellington[4], the Westpark 26 business park and the A38 towards Taunton[5]. Phase one will begin on the western part of the roundabout on 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[6]), while phase four will focus on the northern section leading towards Westpark 26.
Diversion routes in place during the Chelston Link Road improvement scheme in Wellington (Image: Somerset Council)
Since junction 26 will be closed for the duration of the work, motorists wishing to reach Wellington from the M5 will have to exit at either junction 27 (Tiverton) or junction 25 (Taunton) and use the A38 in each direction.
West Buckland residents who would normally use Sawyers Hill to access the motorway will be diverted to the A38 via Hockholler Road from June 1 onwards, while traffic approaching from the Blackdown Hills[7] (via Gerbestone Lane) will be redirected towards Wellington via Ford Street. In a statement by Falcon, it has been confirmed that all bus services in Wellington, Somerset will be suspended due to upcoming roadworks on the M5, beginning in June. With the M5 works scheduled, Falcon has regrettably stated they will be unable to provide services from June 15 through to September 16.
They said: "Due to essential roadworks and the closure at M5 junction 26 from June 15 until September 16, our Falcon service will temporarily be unable to serve Wellington." The spokesperson added that due to the lack of suitable detours able to avoid delay to other routes, they could not maintain the Wellington stop: "Unfortunately, there is no suitable diversion that would allow us to serve the stop without causing significant delays and disruption to the rest of the service. "A local service will operate to help customers connect via Taunton, and we appreciate everyone's patience whilst these works are completed.
We encourage passengers to check X (formerly Twitter) for the latest travel information."
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References
- ^ Somerset Council (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ it would finally begin an upgrade to the link road in mid-June (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ provided the bulk of the necessary funding (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Wellington (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Taunton (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ with access to the former being maintained via the A38 (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ the Blackdown Hills (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ click this link and select 'Join Community'. (chat.whatsapp.com)
- ^ Somerset Live (www.somersetlive.co.uk)
- ^ Privacy Notice. (www.reachplc.com)
- ^ Click here to join our WhatsApp community. (chat.whatsapp.com)