Motorists in the Shepton Mallet and Wells areas are being warned to expect disruption as the next phase of an £11.6m road maintenance scheme begins.

Somerset County Council is in the middle of a substantial programme to upgrade traffic lights and pedestrian crossings across the county, replacing equipment which is reaching the end of its working life.

Work on lights and crossings in the Rowbarton area of Taunton was completed in the autumn, with a further phase of work currently under way at various locations in Yeovil.

The council has now announced dates for the Shepton Mallet and Wells elements of the programme – with the Frome elements expected to be finalised later in the year.

The sole element of the programme within Shepton Mallet will be upgrading the junction of the A361 Fosse Lane and Charlton Road, near the Thatched Cottage Inn.

Work on this junction will begin on July 21 and is expected to last until October.

 Somerset County Council's Executive Lead Member for Transport and Digital, Cllr Mike Rigby said: "This is significant investment in our essential infrastructure which ensures our network is fit for purpose for many years to come.

"This needs to happen now because the existing signal equipment has reached the end of its working life and must be replaced, otherwise it is likely to fail causing disruption and extra cost to the public.

 "The new signals will be more efficient, more eco-friendly, and importantly should improve traffic flow and provide much safer access for both cyclists and pedestrians."

 "We'll be working closely with local businesses and the community to ensure they have all the information they need, and disruption is kept to a minimum."

The timetable of work in Shepton and Wells is as follows:

Work in Wells starts the week commencing 7 July at:

• Mountery Rd (near Milton Hill) – pedestrian crossing, until August.
• Burcott Rd/Strawberry Way – signalised junction, August to November
• Portway/Stawberry Way – signalised junction, November to March 2023
• Strawberry Way south end – pedestrian crossing, March 2023-April 2023

Work starts in Shepton Mallet the week commencing 21 July at:

• Fosse Lane/Charlton Road – signalised junction, until October

The Frome leg of the work is at the planning stage and is expected to start in Autumn/Winter 2022.

Somerset County Council's highways team recently netted the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport highly commended status for its Rowbarton scheme in the CIHT 2022 awards. The scheme was recognised for its exemplar collaboration practices with partners and the community.

For more information on the signals recovery programme visit Somerset Traffic Signal Refurbishment – Travel Somerset

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