Bridgwater roadworks ‘have to happen’, says Somerset Council

Speaking at the public drop-in event held at Bridgwater Town Hall on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Cllr Richard Wilkins stated that ‘disruption was unavoidable’ in order to deliver and unlock investment.

The three schemes in Bridgwater, which each have separate roadworks, include the Dunball Roundabout upgrade at Junction 23 of the M5; the Celebration Mile; and Agratas’ high voltage power lines.

All the local councillors were present at the drop-in, including Cllr Brian Smedley and Cllr Leigh Redman.

Speaking about the drop-in, Cllr Wilkins said: “It was great to come to Bridgwater to listen to the concerns of residents and business owners of the area. There’s huge investment that’s going into Bridgwater, but whilst the works are ongoing, there will be some disruption. That’s why we came to listen to people’s concerns.”

“The message we got from the business owners is that Bridgwater is open for business, and that the Celebration Mile will greatly enhance the town centre. We’re thankful to the businesses for their patience”, he added.

“The investment going into Bridgwater is huge. These schemes and roadworks have to happen for the investment to come in. At the end, we will have a vibrant town which will be a flag-bearer for Somerset.”

Nearly £20 million has been allocated for the Celebration Mile and Dunball Roundabout schemes, while the Agratas gigafactory scheme represents £4 billion of investment.

“With investment in infrastructure of this scale, disruption is unavoidable. However, the council is working with all contractors to ensure that is minimised.”

Somerset Council says that there is already high demand for access to its road network.

So far this year, there have been 24,000 permits granted for work on the roads in the county. About 22 per cent of these requests were undertaken by Somerset Council, with the remaining works undertaken by utility companies.