MP describes Newton Abbot roadworks ‘hell’

Roadworks around Newton Abbot have been described as ‘hell’ in the House of Commons by the town’s MP, who says councils are powerless to prevent utility companies from causing problems.

Traders in the town say issues caused by long-term projects on main roads leading in and out of the town have been exacerbated by other roadworks for pipes and cables.
Liberal Democrat MP Martin Wrigley met angry traders at a meeting in Newton Abbot last week, and was told that the town had been hit by ‘gridlock’ since the roadworks began.
The main A382 road, which links the town to the A38 at Drum Bridges, will be closed until August between the MG garage and Whitehills. Another section of the same road will then be closed for another 12 months.
Mr Wrigley said communications from Devon County Council had been poor, and said that instead of having the A382 work done in two phases, engineers should have started at either end and met in the middle, ‘like the Channel Tunnel’.
He said businesses directly affected should seek compensation, and added that controlling utility companies would help stop the disruption getting worse.
During a Commons debate he said: “Roadworks in my constituency are causing traffic hell, and residents have had enough.
“With the two-year closure of the A382 for much-needed work, utilities companies are taking advantage by doing roadworks everywhere, and the county council is powerless to cause them to co-operate and co-ordinate. What does the Secretary of State suggest I say to my residents?”
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander, the Labour MP for Swindon South, said he may wish to tell his residents about the government’s determination to tackle these issues.
She went on: “For example, we have doubled the fines that local authorities can charge utility companies when works overrun. I recognise how disruptive these works are for local communities, and it is an issue that the government takes very seriously.”
A joint statement issued by Devon County Council and Teignbridget Council said that while a great deal of planning went into co-ordinating roadworks, it was not always possible to schedule works consecutively.
Emergency or unplanned issues could create unavoidable overlaps.
The statement went on: “At present, several major road improvement schemes linked to long-term infrastructure changes are under way across the town.
“These, combined with immediate and unavoidable repairs, have created significant challenges on the road network.”
The A382 improvements are designed to improve safety, help to ease congestion and provide better active travel links by upgrading and re-aligning the road between Forches Cross and Stover, as well as developing the Jetty Marsh Link Road to connect West Gold’s Way to the A382.
Works include road widening, new roundabouts, extending the shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians and developing a dedicated right turn at Stover School.