Road safety improvements for North Devon Link Road

HALF a million pounds of road safety improvements are being carried out along the 30 mile length of the North Devon Link Road over the next three months. The work, which will continue until December, will focus on 13 main junctions and uphill lanes. New r

HALF a million pounds of road safety improvements are being carried out along the 30 mile length of the North Devon Link Road over the next three months.

The work, which will continue until December, will focus on 13 main junctions and uphill lanes. New road markings and double white lines, coloured road surfacing, and warning and information signs will be introduced along the A361 from Tiverton to Barnstaple to help drivers to use the road more safely and be aware of specific hazards.

The changes follow extensive local consultation and an in-depth study by Devon County Council engineers, traffic police and road safety consultants into the numbers and types of collisions on the road.

Some of the improvements are being carried out overnight, but most work will be done between 9am and 4pm to avoid peak traffic times. To enable contractor South West Highways to work safely on this busy road, full traffic management will be in place with traffic signals at most locations.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: "Over the next three months, there will be a huge amount of work going on between Tiverton and Barnstaple. Drivers should allow extra time for their journey during these works as they may experience delays. In the long term I'm convinced that these changes will make it safer for everyone who uses the North Devon Link Road."

The police will be stepping up speed enforcement from the new police observation platforms. Drivers should be more aware of the legal speed limits from information signs, speed camera signs and improved speed limit signing.

Motorists will also find most lay bys now have location information to help in case they need to call for emergency or breakdown assistance.

Devon County Council is one of four Beacon authorities to receive �1.5 million of funding from the Department of Transport to research how to reduce road casualties in rural areas.

The council, Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, the Devon and Cornwall Safety Camera Partnership, Devon Primary Care Trust and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust, are working in partnership on the Devon Country Mile project to improve rural road safety, specifically in the area between Exeter and Barnstaple, bordered by the A361, the A377 and the A396. The Devon Country Mile project is supported by the Department for Transport.