Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

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 a 15 year period, 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.

Because of 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.

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 included the publication of a draft Order on 28 February 2008, following which members of the public had a period of 6 weeks during which time they were able to make representations in support of, or objection to, the Order.

A number of objections to the permanent closure Order were received, and the Highways Agency announced on 6 May that a Public Inquiry would be held.

The Inquiry would be held before an independent Inspector, appointed jointly by the Secretary of State for Transport and the First Secretary of State on the nomination of the Planning Inspectorate.

A pre-inquiry meeting was held at Tedburn St Mary Village Hall on Wednesday 13 August 2008. At this meeting the Inspector explained the procedures for the Public Inquiry, and its times, dates and location.

The Public Inquiry was held at Tedburn St Mary Village Hall between 23 September and 2 October 2008. The Inspector submitted his report to the Secretary of State, who has decided that the draft Order will not be made, and that the gap would therefore be re-opened. 

The Secretary of State has asked the Highways Agency to continue monitoring Fingle Glen junction to ensure that it is safe for all road users, and to undertake a further study, taking into account the Inspector's findings, to enable them to bring forward another scheme to address the road safety issue at this junction.

The central reservation gap was re-opened on 8 April 2009.

Update 2011

The ongoing safety study has identified some improvements which we have recently been addressing as interim measures - these have included amendments to road markings and improving visibility by removing some trees at the junction.

We will continue to monitor the junction.