Key road on Dartmoor to be closed for 18 weeks

A busy road on Dartmoor will be closed for 18 weeks to save a route which "could be lost completely", highways bosses say.

The B3212, which goes from Exeter to Moretonhampstead, will be closed between Dunsford and Doccombe from 5 January with a diversion in place via Bovey Tracey and the A382.

Devon County Council said one lane of the road had been closed since 2022 following a landslip which left half of the road slumped and unsafe to use.

The council said the work would "stabilise the road, improve drainage and reinstate safety barriers".

A 12-tonne piling rig will be brought to the site in the new year to underpin the road.

Dan Thomas, Liberal Democrat and cabinet member for highways, apologised to drivers for the inconvenience.

He said: "I appreciate an 18-week road closure is a long time, and we're sorry that it will cause disruption, but this is an extremely complex job.

"There's a chance the road could be lost completely at some stage if this stabilisation scheme isn't done."

Thomas said the road was in "an environmentally sensitive area", which meant the work was "not straight forward".

He said: "We have needed permission from landowners for the large plant that will be needed on site and, due to its size, there's no choice but to close the road. Please bear with us."

Journeys on the Country Bus service 359, between Exeter and Moretonhampstead, will be diverted via the A30.

Devon County Council also said it was organising a shuttle service which would operate three times a day in each direction between Dunsford and Exeter, via Longdown.

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