Highways Agency

The Project

Summary

Fingle Glen Junction lies on the A30 trunk road immediately to the east of Tedburn St Mary. The junction provides access between the C50 (former A30) to the A30 dual carriageway and was originally constructed as part of the Exeter to Okehampton Improvements and opened to traffic in 1978.

The A30 trunk road has traffic flows through this section at an average of 26,000 vehicles per day, rising to 56,000 on an August Saturday.

Movements to and from the westbound carriageway necessitate crossing the eastbound carriageway and its oncoming fast moving traffic. With three fatalities, and 11 injury accidents in the last 16 years, the junction has a worse accident record than the national average for similar junctions.

The Highways Agency is committed to improving safety at junctions, and is closing central reservation gaps on high-speed carriageways wherever possible. They therefore commissioned consultants to design a grade separation scheme. This resulted in a preferred option of a GBP3 million improvement involving the closure of the reservation and use of the nearby Barton Head Bridge to form a flyover for traffic wishing to join or leave the A30 westbound at the junction.

Following the issuing of draft Orders, and the public consultation process, objections were received from members of the local community. The Highways Agency addressed the concerns expressed by the objectors, and issued further draft Orders which were put to public consultation in October 2006. Subsequently a further 113 objections were received – a number which would require the Agency to carry out a public inquiry.  Unfortunately an extended programme required to include a public inquiry meant that funding for the scheme could not be guaranteed.  Therefore the Agency instead decided to proceed by closing the central reservation alone.

In December 2006 the Highways Agency therefore announced that the plans for improvements to the Fingle Glen Junction on the A30 near Pathfinder Village were to be scaled down, and that a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order would be introduced to close the gap in the central reservation. During the course of the temporary closure the Highways Agency would seek to introduce a Permanent Traffic Regulation Order to close the gap permanently and this would involve public consultation.

Following some local opposition as a result of the announcement of the closure of the gap, the matter became subject to judicial review in the High Court.

Update

Following the result of the judicial review on 3 October 2007, the Highways Agency closed the gap in the central reservation under a temporary Traffic Regulation Order on 18 October 2007.

Shortly after the introduction of this closure, the Highways Agency began the formal process of introducing a Permanent Traffic Regulation Order to close the gap permanently. This includes the publication of a draft Order on 28 February 2008, following which members of the public have a period of 6 weeks during which time they are able to make representations in support of, or objection to, the Order.

Under the closure, westbound traffic on the A30 wishing to access the Fingle Glen and Pathfinder Village areas is diverted on to the Woodleigh Junction, and then back along the A30 eastbound to exit at the Fingle Glen junction. Traffic bound for the Tedburn St Mary area is able to use the C50 between Woodleigh Junction and the village.

Traffic from the Fingle Glen, Pathfinder Village and Tedburn St Mary areas wishing to join the A30 westbound travel via the C50 to Woodleigh Junction.

Eastbound traffic is still able to access or leave the A30 at Fingle Glen.