TRAFFIC CHAOS PREDICTED ON CREDITON’S ROAD NETWORK

by Alan Quick

PREDICTIONS have been made that Crediton will face a month of traffic chaos from Monday, January 15, with lorries stuck in narrow roads and see long tailbacks of traffic on unsuitable road networks.

On January 15, for approximately four weeks, emergency road repairs are to be carried out by Devon County Council contractors along a stretch of the A377 road between Queen Elizabeth Drive and Barnstaple Cross - works which will require the complete closure of the road between Crediton and Barnstaple Cross.

Devon County Councillor Mrs Margaret Squires said last month: “There is a problem on the A377 at Chapel Downs – the hedge has slipped away and the road is cracked.

“The official diversion is a long one as it needs to be roads of an equivalent grade, however we all know that local people will find their own way and that will probably mean Jockey Hill, Upper Deck and Barnstaple Cross or through New Buildings and Morchard Bishop for that side of the A377.

“The roads on the other side of the A377 are equally not suitable for the extra traffic.

“Originally Devon engineers were talking of closing the road for a longer period but they have reconsidered and are now looking for a four-week closure, weather permitting, from January 15.”

Mrs Squires along with Crediton County Councillor Nick Way as well as other councillors from the area recently met with Devon County Council engineers to discuss signage and diversion routes and other mitigation that needed discussion and put in place before the work commences.

The combined Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) figures of vehicles passing through Crediton or already using Higher Road are recorded as 15,000 vehicle movements and it is expected most of these will try to use the Jockey Hill/Higher Road route for the month.

ROAD EDGE UNSTABLE

Adam Baldwin, from the Bridges and Structures department at Devon County Council said: “Following the identification of cracking to the road edge, we believe that the road edge has become unstable and there is potential for the road to fail entirely.

“As a result, we propose to construct an engineered embankment with dwarf wall at the toe in order to stabilise the bank.

“We are planning to commence these works on January 15, for four weeks whilst under a road closure.

“This is likely to be a tight time frame, however we would aim to complete the main bulk of the works within the four weeks at the very least.

“Road closure notification signs will be erected on site a minimum of one week prior to January 15.

“The contractor undertaking the works will be MacPlant Construction Ltd (0128 8362111), who are very familiar with the construction of embankment/wall stabilisation schemes.”

The road will be closed 24 hours-a-day but could be re-opened sooner subject to favourable conditions, says Devon County Council.

It says that the works will require excavating three metres deep adjacent to the carriageway and the casting of a new mass concrete retaining wall to stabilise the road.

The existing highway drainage will be replaced and the road then re-surfaced along the extent of the works, expected to be about 30 metres in length.

It adds that whilst undertaking this work, it must ensure the safety of the workforce and public at all times.

Due to constraints on working area and in line with safety guidelines, it says it is unable to carry out this work without a road closure.

Bus and lorry transport companies have been informed of the pending road closure.

The official diversion route will be via the A3072 to De Bathe Cross, North Tawton to Whiddon Down and joining the A30.

Enquiries about the road closure can be made to the Devon County Council Customer Service Centre on the telephone number 0345 156 1004.

To give motorists, including articulated lorry drivers sufficient notice, electronic message boards have been placed at Cowley Bridge and De Bathe Cross.

JOCKEY HILL

A number of standard diversion signs will also be put in place and some parking suspended in areas such as the bottom of Jockey Hill.

Local residents fear that pedestrians lives will be put at risk at the roundabout at the bottom of Jockey Hill where the road joins Blagdon, where, on one side, the pavement is just six inches wide, meaning pedestrians, those with pushchairs and mobility scooters already have to compete with traffic.

The properties on both sides of the road at the location are Listed buildings.

Traffic lights was one of the options suggested for the location since the building of the Crediton Link Road has increased traffic at the junction significantly.

Local residents have said that with such a narrow pavement, the area is now “an accident waiting to happen”.

In 1975 a bus lost its brakes travelling down Jockey Hill and crashed into Palace Cottage at the bottom of Jockey Hill, resulting in injuries to many passengers.

Other areas of concern as traffic uses alternative and insufficient minor roads in the area include Upper Deck, where it is too narrow for two vehicles to pass in a number of locations. Some road junctions have also been highlighted as problem areas.

SPEED RESTRICTIONS

Some speed restrictions and one-way systems will be put in place, Devon County Council has confirmed.

The roads with 30mph speed restrictions will be: A377 Road from Quarry Foot Cross, Knowle to Barnstaple Cross, Copplestone for a distance of 1,781 metres in an easterly direction; Higher Road, Crediton from George Hill Cross to Barnstaple Cross, for a distance of 2,127 metres in a westerly direction; Road from Quarry Foot Cross, Knowle to Brandise Cross, Hollacombe for a distance of 2,674 metres in a southerly direction; Road from Raddon Down Cross to Barnstaple Cross, Crediton for a distance of 1,178 metres in an easterly direction; Pitt Hill, Crediton from Hollacombe Cross to its junction with Westernlea for a distance of 3,155 metres in an easterly direction; Road from Brandise Cross, Hollacombe to Elston Meadow, Crediton for a distances of 3,630 metres in an easterly direction.

A one-way Northbound closure will be in effect on the road from Quarry Foot Cross to Raddon Down Cross, Knowle.

Crediton traders hope they will not lose business as a result of the loss of traffic through Crediton High Street during the month-long period.

BUS ROUTES

Bus stops at Queen Elizabeth Drive and near Crediton Hospital are being suspended by Stagecoach during the road closure but the bus company says other services should operate as usual and will use diverted routes via Queen Elizabeth’s School, St Martin’s Lane, George Hill, Higher Road to Barnstaple Cross and in the opposite direction.

Traffic lights have been in operation at Chapel Downs, where the road is subsiding, for many weeks.

• Are you concerned about the A377 road closure for a month from January 15? Why not share your views with fellow “Crediton Courier” readers?

Write a letter, suitable for publication, with your name, address and a daytime telephone number (not necessarily for publication) to: The Editorial Manager, “Crediton Courier”, 102 High Street, Crediton EX17 3LF.

Alternatively, email your letter, with the required information, to: [email protected] .