Taunton: A358 Toneway roadworks completed

Mike Rigby opened the road following a short ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by other councillors and dignitaries

A multi-million pound scheme to improve the link between Taunton town centre and the M5 has been officially opened.

Somerset County Council has spent £8.3m on improvements to the Creech Castle junction, where the A358 Toneway meets the A38 Bridgwater Road.

Work began in August 2021, having been delayed by the pandemic, and residents had to contend with lengthy diversions while it was completed.

Councillor Mike Rigby said it was "a massive achievement".

The council reopened the junction following a short ribbon-cutting ceremony and has promised that further roadworks in the town will be staggered to minimise disruption.

Mr Rigby said it was “a massive achievement” to bring the scheme in on time and on budget

Mr Rigby, portfolio holder for transport and digital, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I think people have been looking forward to this for a long time.

"We're fully accepting of the fact that it has been inconvenient for people having parts of the junction closed, and for having the whole thing closed at night in recent weeks to try and get it finished on time.

"The final product here is something that we will really benefit from. You'll see, I think very quickly, a significant decrease in the amount of time you spend waiting at the junction, and it is far better now for walking and cycling."

In addition to improving traffic flows between the town centre and the M5, the junction upgrade is also intended to create faster, smoother journeys for residents living in the Monkton Heathfield extension off the A38 Bridgwater Road.