‘WE are on the side of motorists’, says a government minister as a lengthy closure of a main road in and out of Newton Abbot west underway.

Roads and Buses Minister, Simon Lightwood MP, said it was ‘great to hear’ that work has started on improvements to the A382.

‘Thanks to Government funding, motorists in Devon will get from A to B quicker’, the MP for Wakefield and Rothwell said.

‘This scheme will be delivered sustainably, and will provide safer journeys as well as more options for walking, wheeling and cycling’, the MP added.

The minister’s comments come as local councillors visited the site this week.

Councillors were briefed on the £50million scheme, which aims to ‘help ease congestion, improve safety and encourage active travel’.

To achieve this end, the A382 has now closed at the Whitehills junction for around 11 months.

Once the roundabout at Whitehills is complete, the work will move to Forches Cross, where there will be a further closure for 12 months.

Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member at Devon County Council for Highway Management, said: ‘There were three serious collisions and nine slight injury collisions on the A382 in the four years before work started on the first phase of the improvement project.

‘That reduced by more than half in the four years after the first phase was completed, so it’s vital these latest improvements are carried out to reduce collisions even further.

‘It is impossible to undertake this sort of development without some disruption but every effort is going into minimise that as much as possible, which is why a lot of planning has gone into managing the diversions and ensuring access to businesses near the A382 will be maintained throughout’.

Diversion route options are in place via the A383 and B3193, with access to local businesses being maintained throughout the duration of the scheme, Devon County Council says.

The diversion routes are being monitored to enable the quickest diversion route to be displayed in real time on 17 Variable Message Signs (VMS) in key areas so people can choose the quickest route for their journey, the council went on to say.

Councillor Jacqueline Fry, County Councillor for Newton Abbot North, said: ‘I look forward to the completion of these works and the benefits they promise to bring upon completion, making travel a smoother experience for both locals and visitors’.

In addition to the aforementioned traffic management measures, Greycoat Lane is now one way, Ringslade Road is closed southbound, and temporary traffic signals have been installed at the junction of Clay Lane and Clay Pits Way.

The improvement scheme is being funded by the Government, Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council.

It builds upon the first phase of improvements to the A382 and the A382 to A383 link road.