Cornwall A30 reopening pushed back by three months

The original target date has been pushed back by three months

The reopening of the A30 in Cornwall has been pushed back to "before the school summer holidays", National Highways has said.

Construction work for the Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade project began back in 2020 after the scheme received its Development Consent Order.

The target date to open the new dual carriageway was the end of March 2024.

The £330m project has reached its final stages but National Highways has said it has faced "significant challenges".

Nick Simmonds Screech, National Highways project director, said construction is on track to open the new road in June.

'Particularly challenging'

National Highways said the programme of work has had to "adapt" to the effects of both the pandemic and growing weather challenges since construction began.

Between January 2021 and August 2023 there were 14 Met Office classified storms and since last August alone there have been an unprecedented total of 10 storms affecting Cornwall, it said.

Mr Simmonds said it was "particularly challenging" getting the scheme off the ground during the pandemic.

He added: "Given the effects of the pandemic and the delayed start to the construction programme, and against all the challenges thrown at us by recent weather events, we still look on this as an achievement.

Storms and the pandemic have had an impact on the A30 works, National Highways have said

"Once the new dual carriageway's open, and well before the start of summer school holidays, this will make a significant and positive difference to the journeys of both local communities and businesses, and to the wider travelling public."

National Highways has said finishing works including; local authority road refinements, landscaping, planting, Cornish hedging as well as other environmental and ecological work will continue once the new road is open.