New traffic signals installed in Taunton’s Rowbarton area as part of a multi-million pound county-wide package are now operational.
Work to carry out a major upgrade of 40-year-old signals at key junctions and pedestrian crossings commenced in the spring.
The Council’s contractor Griffiths removed the old equipment and replaced it with new state-of-the-art traffic signals, including improved provision for cyclists and pedestrians at Kingston Road/Greenway Road, Kingston Road/St Andrew’s Road and Cheddon Road/Priorswood Road. The pedestrian crossing on Kingston Road has also been improved.
The new signals are more efficient, more eco-friendly, will provide much safer access for pedestrians and cyclists and should improve traffic flow.
Part of the work also involved significant resurfacing works while traffic management was in place.
A team will remain on site for a few more weeks to carry out routine checks and ensure the timings are correct for optimum traffic flow.
Attention will soon turn to Yeovil and other towns in Somerset, including Wells and Street to ensure signals at the end of their working life are replaced.
“We’re really pleased to have got the new signals in place in Rowbarton,” said Councillor John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.
“This was a difficult, complex piece of work, and we’re really grateful to residents and road users for their patience and support.
“The work has to be done – we’ve got the money to replace signals which are not fit for purpose across the county and we’re getting on and doing it.
“Our teams will keep disruption down to a minimum and we will ensure the public has key information on all the schemes going forward.”
More detailed plans of the schemes in other will be available to view in due course.
You can read more about the signals recovery programme here: https://www.travelsomerset.co.uk/
Stay up to date with this and other roadworks schemes by following @TravelSomerset on Twitter and liking the Travel Somerset page on Facebook.
Somerset County Council looks after 4,172 miles of road and in 2020/21 invested £23.1m to keep the county moving. Highways teams filled 19,282 potholes last year and carried out 556 highway maintenance schemes ranging from drainage works to carriageway and footway resurfacing.