A30 Boxheater to Chiverton Cross closure delayed

Beams for the new bridge have been delivered on site

The installation of a new 270-tonne bridge as part of a major roadworks scheme has been delayed.

National Highways said it had postponed the work on the A30 in Cornwall by at least one week due to ground conditions being affected by recent weather.

The arterial route was due to be closed over the weekend of Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February but the road will no longer be shut on these dates.

The bridge will form part of the Chiverton to Carland Cross dualling.

The old Tolgroggan bridge

The A30 was due to be fully closed between Boxheater junction and Chiverton Cross roundabout to enable the installation of a new Tolgroggan accommodation bridge.

The work has been rescheduled for 10-13 February to allow for further preparatory work.

However directors said this could be postponed further.

Neil Winter, National Highways' senior project manager, said: "Our contractors have detected unsuitable ground conditions for the crane deployment and we have taken the decision to put back the bridge installation by a week to ensure everything is right for what will be a large-scale lifting operation.

"Adverse weather, a mixture of heavy rainfall and low temperatures, hasn't helped recently.

"These circumstances are out of our control and the safety and effectiveness of the operation are our primary concerns."

He apologised for "any confusion caused" by the postponement of the closure.

The rescheduled closure is due to come into force at 20:00 (GMT) on Friday 10 February and end at 06:00 on Monday 13 February.

If work cannot be completed then, the closure will happen between Friday 17 February and Monday 20 February.

The overall scheme is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.