DRIVERS in Newton Abbot face increased delays on Ashburton Road as roadworks move into the next phase, requiring three-way temporary traffic lights.

So far, the road had been under two-way traffic lights.

However, three-way lights have now been installed.

The new phase of work, phase three, is one of the few times three-way lights are required.

As a result, queuing times, particularly during peak times, are expected to increase.

In an update to residents, councillor, Jacqueline Fry (Newton Abbot North, Reform UK) said: ‘As the lights are being controlled by a central control room using CCTV and queuing data, they are adjusting the phases and timings accordingly to keep things as balanced as possible.

‘This may mean that the side road is kept on red for longer periods if there is low demand, to try and keep the main road flowing as best as possible’.

Utility work to the key Newton Abbot road began in February.

Work to install utility services along the A383 to the Houghton Barton housing development had been due to start in November 2025.

However, the work was pushed back until February 2026 after a public backlash and subsequent discussions between the key players: Teignbridge District Council, Devon County Council and Bloor Homes.

As such, Bloor Homes will carry out the work under temporary traffic lights for around 30 weeks from February.

Devon County Council’s interactive roadworks map gives a start date of February 16.

The work was originally due to take up to 50 weeks, but the housing developer’s contractor agreed to a series of mitigation measures to minimise the impact of the work.

These include: extended hours and additional staff; work on verges and pavements where possible rather than the road and temporary traffic lights will be manually controlled and work will be managed to reduce the need for three-way traffic lights.