Local people and businesses are being given the chance to find out more about  a major project to upgrade the busy Dunball roundabout linking Bridgwater and Junction 23 of the M5.

Construction on the multi-million pound scheme begins 11 November – as well as improving traffic flow and capacity it will it will make it easier to walk and cycle at the roundabout.

The drop-in event at Puriton Village Hall takes place on Wednesday, 23 October from 4.30pm to 8pm.

Everybody with an interest is welcome to come along and speak to representatives from Somerset Council and the contractor delivering the scheme, Centregreat.

The project is wholly funded by ring-fenced Government and partner funding, and developer contributions. The condition of the funding is that it must be used to deliver the Dunball scheme.

The project will see the roundabout improved with signals introduced and  the addition of a ‘throughabout’ lane which allows traffic to flow through the middle of it for greater capacity. This will ease peak traffic flow through this crucial route which links the town to Junction 23 of the M5, along with the Gravity Smart Campus in Puriton, site of the proposed Agratas Gigafactory which is set to create 4,000 jobs in Somerset.

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.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, said:

Please come along if you have questions or concerns about the project.

We know this is an incredibly busy time for Bridgwater – lots of inward investment but of course with that comes some temporary disruption.

Our team will be able to answer questions about the scheme and about the traffic management involved.

Most of the improvements will be done with lane closures and temporary traffic signals in place but the scheme will require some short-term evening closures of the link road between the Dunball roundabout and J23 in early 2025.

Motorists will still be able to enter and exit the M5 via J23 following diversion routes. Advanced notice will be issued, and diversion routes published as soon as possible. The team will do its utmost to minimise disruption on the network.

The road network in Bridgwater is extremely busy at the moment, with works linked to major investment in and around the town.

• Agratas power supply works: This is work on several roads in Bridgwater needed to connect the battery cell facility in Puriton to the Bridgwater substation. These include some closures and traffic management expected to continue into early spring next year, including some work on Puriton Hill.
• The Celebration Mile: Bridgwater’s Celebration Mile, is a walking, and cycling between the station and the town centre is continuing apace. This also involves road closures and traffic management and is set to complete autumn 2025.

The Council’s Streetworks Team is working closely with the contractors on all 3 schemes to minimise disruption for residents and businesses when work commences on Dunball.

The team is constantly reviewing traffic management with the contractor working for Agratas and making changes where possible. However, a level of disruption is unavoidable.

Somerset Council will be giving as much notice as we can when there is significant disruption, to allow people to plan and to promote alternative routes where possible.