Plymouth traffic bottleneck improvement scheme approved

Long-awaited multimillion-pound plans to widen the road at "one of Plymouth's worst traffic bottlenecks" have been given the go-ahead.

Plans to deal with the "notorious pinch-point" on the A386 Tavistock Road were first raised in 1979.

Plymouth City Council's cabinet approved the possibility of compulsory purchase orders and added almost £4m to the previous budget of about £42m.

The scheme includes walking and cycling improvements and a new junction.

The city council said its plans would "alleviate congestion" by widening the road between the Woolwell roundabout and The George junction.

It said the project was "a vital part of our programme to provide better links to and from the north of Plymouth as it grows".

Mark Coker, the cabinet member for transport at the city council, said he wanted to reach agreements with landowners through negotiation and compulsory purchase orders would be "a last resort".

Negotiations on the project will continue and no timescale for the works has yet been set.

The council's report said more than 30,000 vehicles used this section of road every day with "regular queues and delays at peak times, caused by traffic having to merge over very short distances".

Devon County Council identified the need to turn the road into a dual carriageway from Derriford Roundabout to Roborough in 1979, according to the report.

Plymouth City Council's cabinet also approved an addition of more than £3.9m to the previous budget of £41.8m due to a number of factors including inflation.

The council approved the principle of pursuing a compulsory purchase order for the acquisition of land and property needed to deliver the scheme in November 2021.

It said it would need to acquire 32 parcels of land to deliver the scheme.

Phase one of the scheme will include walking and cycling improvements on Woolwell Road, new cycling facilities on Tavistock Road (north of Woolwell Roundabout) and a new signalised junction where Woolwell Crescent meets Tavistock Road.

The second phase of the scheme will include the replacement of Woolwell Roundabout with a new signalised junction, as well as the widening of Tavistock Road.

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