WORK to upgrade the busy Dunball roundabout linking Bridgwater and Junction 23 of the M5 has broken ground this week.

The £10.7 million project began on Monday, 11 November, and Cllr Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Waste at Somerset Council officially broke the ground and met the team from the contractor, Centregreat.

Speaking about the project, Cllr Wilkins said: “This is a vital project at a very busy interchange where there can sometimes be significant delays for road users during peak times, and it is also very difficult to access for pedestrians and cyclists.”

The scheme is intended to improve traffic flow at the roundabout, with signalisation and the addition of a ‘throughabout’ lane allowing traffic to flow through the middle of it for greater capacity.

Dunball’s pedestrian and cycling improvements will be part of a complete active travel route along the A38 corridor, which will stretch from the Gravity site to the town centre.

A significant part of this A38 active travel corridor has already been completed or is underway, including the recently finished active travel route from Dunball through Express Park along the riverbank to Saltlands Bridge.

Cllr Wilkins added: “Ideally, the work would be staggered, but all the projects are highly time-sensitive and in the case of Celebration Mile and Dunball, funding must be spent within a certain timescale.”

A public drop-in on Wednesday, November 20, concerning the roadworks will give people the chance to find out more and ask questions. It will take place at Bridgwater Town Hall from 12.30pm to 6.30pm.