A roadwork project to improve traffic light equipment in Taunton was extended in the fall due to “complications” discovered during the work.
Work to update and replace end-of-life signaling equipment has been underway since March in the Rowbarton district of the city.
Old equipment is being removed and replaced with new state-of-the-art signals, including an improved layout for cyclists and pedestrians at the junctions of Kingston Road and Greenway Road; Kingston Road and St Andrew Road; and Cheddon Road and Priorswood Road.
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The project has already been called a “joke” by local residents, frustrated by long delays and long diversions as part of the junction is closed. It is one of the many roadworks on major junctions and roads around the city that have caused many delays in recent weeks.
Rowbarton’s work was originally scheduled to last 17 weeks, but will now be extended until the fall, with Somerset County Council saying “complications” were discovered during the construction process.
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These problems include:
Service device much shallower than expected, including gas line and high voltage cable. Discovery of an old fuel tank Thick layers of concrete and other surfaces
This required additional work to move the shallow services, remove the fuel tank, and excavate and remove more material from the site than originally planned.
As a result, the program has been extended to include full road surfacing on all affected roads. This means that the work will continue until the fall.
Alongside our brand new site for all of Taunton, there are:
Councilor John Woodman, a member of the Somerset County Council’s highways and transport cabinet, said the work was “absolutely essential” despite the city’s growing disruption.
He said: “This has been a particularly difficult program to implement, but we are looking to take advantage of it to include major resurfacing that will prevent further disruption in the future.
“This signal refurbishment is absolutely critical – the equipment needs to be replaced now before it fails. It’s about making sure we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate the growth and future demand on our network. “
The project is part of Somerset County Council’s £ 9million works packages over the next three years and runs alongside several other Taunton projects, including a one-year project to modernize the A38 in the city.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-03 09:30:43
