The Kingskerswell back road that links Torquay and Newton Abbot is to close for up to 4 months.
Kingskerswell Road, a local ‘rat run’ has many narrow sections and no footway. It is due to close on Monday 19th January for road widening and straightening to take place. The £2.6million project will also see a shared cycleway and footway added.
The road will be closed from just past the entrance to Buckland Athletic Football Club to the junction with Priory Road. Priory Road will remain open.
Traffic will be diverted to the A380.
Chris Hastings, Project Director at Galliford Try, said: “The existing road is very narrow and drivers regularly experience difficulty in passing. It would be extremely difficult to undertake these road improvements and keep traffic flowing normally – if we did it would take much longer to complete, adding inconvenience to local residents and road users for a greater period of time.
“Numerous sets of traffic lights would be required if construction was to take place whilst keeping the road open, which would cause long delays and increase journey times.”
The improvements to the road are needed to accommodate the extra traffic expected around the Silverhills Industrial Estate which is already home to 25 businesses and is set to expand.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “We realise that this temporary closure may be a difficult adjustment for some residents, but this upgrade to the road is essential to accommodate the expansion of the Silverhills industrial estate.
“Some level of disruption is unfortunately inevitable, but we are doing our best to minimise this. Ultimately the new route will be a huge boost to the local economy and allow the area to grow and prosper.”
For more information and updates on the South Devon Link Road and the Decoy Link Road, go to: www.southdevonlinkroad.co.uk
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