TRANSPORT improvements which could be a big boost for Crediton area residents are among many Devon infrastructure improvements backed by councillors which can be progressed once the coronavirus outbreak is under control.

Among the schemes is the Boniface Trail: £8m Multi-use trail linking Crediton to Exeter; Tarka Line rail enhancement: Half-hourly rail frequency to Crediton and A377 Park and Change, a new park-and-change site for Exeter around the A377 route into the city.

Other park-and-ride stations, new cycling and walking routes, and road improvements are all included in the plan setting out 110 different planned investments in transport infrastructure across Devon by 2030.

Devon County Council’s cabinet, which met remotely on Wednesday, April 8, unanimously approved the updated Transportation Infrastructure Plan, as well as approving the capital programme for investment for the next two years.

A total of £95.192m of investment will be made in the next two financial years – £47.4m in 2020/21 and £47.6m in 2022/23, of which, just over half is being spent on the North Devon Link Road improvement scheme.

Of the £95m of investment, £90.91m comes from external sources including grants and developer contributions.

Cllr Andrea Davis, cabinet member for infrastructure, said: “It is important we look to the future and develop programmes that can be progressed when we return to normality and to help the economy of Devon recover.”

She added that the council was maximising government funding streams for inward investment and the capital programme was balanced between infrastructure schemes and interventions that would reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Cllr Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways and cycling, added that the council in the last year had finished the Wray Valley Trail and made good progress with the cycle routes in the east of Exeter, and had more improvements planned if funding allowed.

The cabinet unanimously approved the budgets for the schemes, the revised capital programme, and the updated Transportation Infrastructure Plan, but questions though were raised about how realistic some of the bold and ambitious plans would be, particularly in light of the coronavirus situation in the UK.

Cllr Alan Connett, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: “With the current national emergency, none of us know how much of the programme will be put in place.”

Cllr Rob Hannaford, leader of the Labour group, added: “This is a welcome report, although we don’t know when it will be delivered. It does go to every corner of the county which is great, but many of the projects have been around for some time and the big issue is delivery.”

The 110 schemes listed in the Transportation Infrastructure Plan are:

EXETER AND EAST DEVON GROWTH POINT AREA

Bridge Road – Widening of Bridge Road to two lanes plus pedestrian / cycle improvements – Completed

E4 Strategic Cycle Routes – Strategic cycling and walking routes in Exeter connecting major growth areas

B3181 Park & Change – New Park and Change on B3182, Pinhoe – delivered by 2022

Science Park – Park & Change – Facility linked to Tithebarn Green development/employment access – £2.2m scheme to be delivered in 2020

Marsh Barton – New rail station at Marsh Barton – £14m scheme that should be open in December 2021

E3 Strategic Cycle Route – Improvements to strategic cycling and walking routes in Exeter

Pinhoe Station – Creation of a transport hub/interchange – £276,000 scheme to be delivered by 2021

South West Exeter – A379 footbridge incorporating level access and Chudleigh Road realignment – £4m to be finished by 2022

Countess Wear roundabout – £500,000 improvements to address pedestrian/cycle access

E9 Strategic Cycle Route – £6m Improvements to strategic cycling and walking routes in Exeter by 2024

Peamore – New park-and-ride site to be delivered just off the A379/A38

Clyst Valley Way – Multi-use trail linking Exe Estuary to the ‘Broadclyst to Killerton’ trails

Cranbrook Cycle Link – Multi-use trail linking Cranbrook to Exeter

Heavitree Road, Exeter – Enhanced sustainable travel corridor and removal of air quality exceedances

Newcourt railway station – Bridge crossing the railway at Newcourt – £2m cost and set to be delivered between 2025-2029

A3052 Park & Ride – a new park-and-ride site to the east of Exeter

Beacon Lane, Exeter – Route enhancement and improved pedestrian/cycle crossing at Pinn Brook – to be delivered by 2024

Alphington Road, Exeter – £6m plan for a new park-and-ride on the Alphington Road corridor and bus priority measures – no timescale listed

North/South Strategic Cycle Link – £5m improvements to strategic cycling and walking routes in Exeter

Exeter canal – A new bridge over Exeter Canal, linking Water Lane area to employment areas

Boniface Trail – £8m Multi-use trail linking Crediton to Exeter

Tarka Line rail enhancement – Half-hourly rail frequency to Crediton

A377 Park & Change – a new park-and-change site for Exeter around the A377 route into the city

Cranbrook to City Centre – Bus priority measures including signal upgrades, bus lanes and bus only access

Moor Lane – £2.2m widening works to increase capacity Honiton Road westbound – currently under construction

Tithebarn Link Road – The new road connecting Pinhoe Road with the M5 junction 29 – completed

A379 Sandy Park – new junction – completed

A379 improvements – £4m of junction improvements on the A379 around the South West Exeter area

Crannaford – Works to avoid HGVs grounding at the Crannaford crossing in Cranbrook – completed

Long Lane – Road widening to improve access to the Exeter Airport employment site

Clock Tower Roundabout – £1m road safety intervention to reduce collisions at a key cluster site in Exeter

Station Road, Exeter – Interventions to increase safety at the junction of Station Rd and Cowley Bridge Road

Pinhoe Road, Exeter – A £1m scheme to improve journey time reliability along the B3212 corridor

EAST DEVON

Clyst St Mary roundabout – £1m Alterations/ Improvements to roundabout (A3052/ A376 junction)

Exmouth bus station – Improved walking / cycling links to town centre, revised entrance to bus station – completed

Avocet Line improvements – Extension of platforms along the Avocet Line

Axminster – The delivery of the £16.7m Axminster relief road

Dinan Way – The £11.2m completion of Dinan Way to connect to the A376

MID DEVON

Tiverton – Left-In, left-out slip roads on southern side of A361 to access new development – completed

J28/Kingsmill Industrial Estate access – Improvements to junction to facilitate access to M5 from industrial estate in Cullompton – completed

Blundell’s Rd / Heathcoat Way roundabout, Tiverton – capacity improvements – completed

Tiverton EUE – £10m works on an overbridge and slip roads on the northern side of the A361 to complete development access – set to be done in 2022

Lowman Way / Heathcoat Way roundabout, Tiverton – capacity improvement set to be made in 2020

Tiverton EUE secondary access – A £10m Secondary access from the Tiverton EUE to Heathcoat Way

Cullompton Eastern relief road – The £15m Town centre relief road – set to delivered in 2022

Sampford Peverell junction on the A361 – West facing slips to remove U-turns at J27 and through traffic from Sampford Peverell and Halberton

Bolham junction on the A361 – Improvements to increase capacity

J28 strategic intervention at Cullompton – Improved access / egress to M5

TEIGNBRIDGE

A382 corridor improvements Phase 1 – Improvements to A382 between Forches Cross and Whitehill Cross including widening / junction works – work is currently under way

A382 corridor improvements Phase 2 – Improvements to A382, including widening / junction works, new Jetty Marsh II link and segregated cycle and pedestrian routes – to take place by 2025

NA1 Link Road – Houghton Barton – £10m ‘Link Road’ from A382 (Forches Cross) – A383 (Seale Hayne) – set to be built by 2023

Newton Abbot Strategic Cycle Routes – £6m Improvements to strategic cycling and walking routes in Newton Abbot connecting major growth areas

Forches Cross – a new park-and-change facility at Forches Cross on the A382

Newton Abbot Rail Station – New pedestrian/cycle access including bridge from Brunel Industrial Estate to Newton Abbot rail station, at a £6m cost

South Devon Link Road – 5.5km bypass of Kingskerwell on A380 – completed

Mamhead to Starcross – £3m Improvements to mitigate impacts of growth on A379

Dawlish Link Road – New £4.2m road linking A379 to Secmaton Lane

Decoy-Aller – £3m Decoy-Aller to Langford Bridge improvements

NA3 Southern Avenue – Site access and links to site from Kingskerswell Road to A381

East Street, Newton Abbot – Road safety scheme to increase safety at a pedestrian collision cluster site

Teign Estuary Trail – Progression of the cycle route along the Teign Estuary between Kingsteignton and Teignmouth

NORTH DEVON AND TORRIDGE

Agri-Business centre access, Holsworthy – Pedestrian / cycle route and junction improvements to provide safe access – completed

Roundswell Pedestrian/ cycle bridge, Barnstaple – Bridge to Link to new industrial / employment site – completed

Roundswell south employment site access road – New £1.5m road to access employment land and Park & Change – to be delivered by 2021

Longbridge to NCN cycle link – Cycle/pedestrian link connecting Anchorwood to Tarka Trail and East-West cycle corridor in Barnstaple – set to happen in 2020

Roundswell Park & Change – A new park and change at the Roundswell Business Park south of the A39

Westacott Park & Change – A shared use park and change site at Westacott with access to Westacott Road, Barnstaple

Pottington Park & Change – A park and change site at Pottington with access to the B3149/A361 Braunton Road

Larkbear pedestrian & cycle bridge – At the A361 Larkbear to Seven Brethren bridge in Barnstaple, access for cyclists/pedestrians, part of the East-West cycle corridor

Barnstaple – Missing links through development sites to provide an east west cycling corridor

Barnstaple rail station – Station forecourt and public transport interchange improvements

Clovelly Road Caddsdown link, Bideford – Highway link suitable for use by buses and a shared use foot / cycleway

Winsford Abbotsham Road and Clovelly Road link – Highway link suitable for use by buses and a shared use foot / cycleway

Larkbear access road – A new £5m route that would be the primary access to Larkbear development, Petroc College and bus route to the stations

Landkey to Barnstaple cycle route – The Landkey Road cycle route linking Landkey and developments to town centre

A3125 Lower Sticklepath junction improvement – £1.8m of improvements to the Station Road roundabout and Longbridge junction, including walking and cycling improvements, set to happen by 2022

River Taw pedestrian & cycle bridge – A new £4m Anchorwood to Town Centre pedestrian & cycle bridge, adjacent to the historic Long Bridge in Barnstaple

A39 Pilton causeway junction, Barnstaple – Improved pedestrian facilities at the signalised junction on the A39, to be delivered in 2021

Bideford – Northam cycle route – A cycle link from Bideford to Northam and Appledore via Chircombe Lane

Westward Ho! cycle route – A Kenwith Valley\Westward Ho! railway cycle route and multi-use trail

Willingcott to Knowle cycle route – A £6m Tarka Trail cycle link from Knowle to Willingcott

Hatherleigh to Meeth cycle route – A £3m Cycle link between Hatherleigh and Meeth

Halwill to Holsworthy cycle route – The Ruby Way cycle link from Halwill to Holsworthy – to be delivered by 2023

Portmore roundabout, Barnstaple – A361 Portmore roundabout Improvement – completed

Hospital junction improvement, Barnstaple – Junction improvement to allow access and mitigate development impacts – completed

Winsford access junction, Bideford – Creation of a new junction on Clovelly Road for access into the West Bideford development site (Winsford) – completed

North Devon Link Road – sections of road widening and junctions improvements – work is under way and should be finished by end of 2022

Heywood Roundabout, Bideford – Capacity improvements of the A39/A386 Heywood Road roundabout

A3125 Roundswell – £1m of road widening to increase capacity onto the A39

A3125/B3233 corridor – Improvements to the A3125/B3233 Bickington Road corridor, including Cedars and Wray Arms roundabouts

A39 Brynsworthy junction, Barnstaple – An addition A39 junction and the Tews Lane Link

A39/Abbotsham junction, Bideford – Junction improvements

Manteo Way junction, Bideford – Improvements to the capacity of the junction

A3123 safer roads scheme – A suite of interventions to improve road safety of the A3123

SOUTH WEST DEVON

Tavistock Package – Utilisation of railway line for sustainable travel between Tavistock and Bere Alston, Park and Change, and cycle link to Tamar Trail Centre

Western Road, Ivybridge – Relocation of on-street parking and provision of new parking spaces widened footpath and pedestrian crossing facility.

A386 Improvements – Package of small-scale improvements along the A386 between Tavistock and Plymouth, including Yelverton Park and Change

Sherford Park and Ride – An £8m park-and-ride site for Sherford

Sherford/Langage – A £6.5m Pedestrian / cycle bridge over A38 connecting strategic sites at Sheford and Langage

Exeter to Okehampton rail enhancement – a daily rail service between Exeter and Okehampton

Totnes – A Package of small-scale improvements to improve the existing AQMA in Totnes, including investigating pedestrian crossing opportunities

Deep Lane junction (north), Sherford – Deep Lane junction northbound improvements – completed

Okehampton – A new £3m road link between Exeter Road and Crediton Road

Sherford Main Street – To allow access via A39 and A379 and new Main Street to development of 4,200 homes – under construction already

Deep Lane junction (South) – Deep Lane junction southbound improvements

Lee Mill slip roads – Strategic road network access improvements to strategic employment site

Okehampton town centre – Improvements to traffic flow in the town centre, possible intervention to remove the traffic signals

A3121 Safer Road Improvements – A suite of road safety interventions to reduce engineering risk and improve road safety on the A3121 – currently under construction.

Dave Black Head of Planning, Transportation and Environment, in his report to the cabinet, added: “The capital programme in this report meets the Council’s priorities by focussing on economic growth and physical health and supporting a prosperous healthy and safe community.”

On sustainable transport, Mr Black said: “The programme continues to provide capital funding to develop sustainable transport infrastructure improvements to be ready for external funding opportunities.  Promoting walking and cycling remains a core objective of the Local Transport Plan to help to deliver more sustainable development in the Market Town areas and for supporting the public health agenda, climate emergency and local economy.”

A £50 million fund has been made available to develop an all-electric bus town or city that would see an entire place’s bus fleet changed over to vehicles that are fully electric, or capable of operating in electric, zero-emission mode, and Mr Black said it is intended that an expression of interest will be submitted by the County Council for Exeter.

On addressing congestion on the roads, Mr Black said that a new tranche of competitive funding for local authorities to bid for schemes to help address congestion pinch points and to reduce congestion on local roads was announced in 2019.

Devon County Council has submitted expressions of interest for the Dinan Way extension in Exmouth, the E9 Strategic Cycle Route in Exeter, and a "Markets Town" package for improvements in Okehampton, Ivybridge, Axminster, Dawlish and Barnstaple.

by Alan Quick and Daniel Clark, LDRS