PEOPLE are being urged to have their say over plans to reconfigure a busy Somerset traffic hotspot.

Somerset Council, working with North Somerset Council (NSC), is launching an online engagement on proposals to for the A38 between the Edithmead Roundabout at Junction 22 of the M5 (near Burnham-on-Sea) and the South Bristol Link (Colliters Way).

The council said currently, junctions along the route are operating close to capacity “leading to varying travel speeds, poor conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, unreliable journey times and congestion at peak times, along with potential road safety issues”.

“This has a knock-on impact on local communities, the local economy and businesses,” a spokesperson added.

The project aims to better connect communities with improved walking and cycling provision, improved safety and journey times on the A38, as well as better access to public transport to boost “the regional economy and enable housing delivery”.

The full A38 scheme would include:
A through-about at Edithmead Roundabout (Junction 22)
Safety improvements at Rooks Bridge
The creation of a staggered junction design at Cross
An improved Strawberry Line crossing of the A38 at Shute Shelve
Improvements to bus stops and conditions for cyclists and pedestrians

A full business case for the scheme is being prepared to move the plans on.

Now, Somerset Council is looking to further engage with the public and key stakeholders on the proposals as they were first aired in 2021, four years ago, and the designs have since evolved.

There is also the potential for people to help shape some of the elements involving sustainable travel, they said.

Somerset Council’s lead member for transport and waste, Councillor Richard Wilkins said: “Working in partnership with North Somerset Council, we are very hopeful we can get funding from Government to make these improvements, clearly this is a very busy route and road users along with local people would benefit hugely from these improvements.

“We really want people to take part in the engagement, funding will be tight if we’re successful and we can’t make wholesale changes to the proposals or designs, but people’s input will play an important role in finalising the schemes.”