National Highways has announced a flyover at the new Chiverton interchange will be partially opened to traffic next month as part of its A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross dualling scheme.
Following the early summer removal of the old Chiverton roundabout – which it describes as Cornwall’s worst accident hot-spot – traffic has since been navigating a temporary interchange.
But following a weekend closure, from Friday, 8 December to Monday, 11 December, A30 traffic flows will improve further as drivers will be able to travel directly east and west across the interchange, using the westbound lanes of the new dual carriageway.
Neil Winter, National Highways’ Senior Project Manager for the A30 scheme, said: “The opening of the Chiverton flyover to traffic will represent a real step forward at this end of the scheme, and the project as a whole.
“It means drivers wishing to continue their journeys along the A30 will no longer have to negotiate the temporary interchange and this should ease congestion as we progress the scheme at this location.
“Following the opening of the temporary interchange we did see additional congestion in comparison to the old roundabout but this has eased as drivers got used to the arrangement and after additional measures were introduced to ease traffic flows.
“Work during the weekend closure will enable us to open the new westbound section of the dual carriageway to traffic, albeit in single file, and if not by the Monday then certainly in the coming days.
“This partial opening will help traffic flows further, and we’ll continue to do what we can to minimise congestion as we continue work to complete and fully open the split-level junction next year and move forward towards delivering this major highway upgrade for Cornwall.”
The B3284 northbound was reopened to access the A30 at Chybucca at the end of September, and during the weekend closure, the new junction will be further opened for traffic.
John Lee, Project Director for principal contractor Costain, said: “As part of the scheme, we’re building 13 new structures in all, both under and over the new A30, with one existing underbridge at Two Burrows being refurbished.
“The Chiverton flyover and Chybucca junction openings represent significant and visible milestones for the project, and in terms of the other structures across the scheme, we’re also progressing the new Carland junction and the ‘green bridge’ structure at Marazanvose.”
Ahead of the weekend closure, Costain will also be working to install Cornwall Council’s Chiverton multi-use bridge, part of their Saints Trails initiative, under overnight closures from Monday, 4 December to Friday, 8 December.
The bridge, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is part of the St Agnes to Truro cycle path project and forms part of the wider National Highways-funded Saints Trails network, being delivered by Cornwall Council to provide a network of routes for non-motorised users from Perranporth to Goonhavern, St Agnes to Goonbell, Goonbell to Chiverton Cross and Chiverton to West Langarth alongside the A390 Truro road.
And during these closures and the weekend closure, from 8pm on the Friday to 6am on the Monday, westbound traffic will be diverted from Boxheater on the A30 via the B3285 and A3075 to rejoin the A30 at Scorrier, with the eastbound diversion route in reverse.
The new carriageway is scheduled to be opened at the end of winter 2023/2024.
The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme is being funded by central Government.
