The A30 Hendford Hill will be fully closed to traffic from 26 May while urgent work is carried out to repair damage caused by Storm Chandra earlier this year and ensure the road can be reopened both ways.
Somerset Council estimates the closure will last for up to 2 weeks to allow heavy machinery and work teams to undertake repairs safely. Diversions will be in place.
The busy road in Yeovil has been operating 1-way – northbound only – after a bank slippage and fallen trees made the route unsafe. The Council’s Highways Team carried out initial repairs and following this a detailed geological assessment was carried out.
Major vegetation clearance has carried out, and this is now being followed by work to clear the soil and debris. Concrete barriers will then be installed at the bottom of the slope to reduce the risk of any future falls reaching the highway.
Once this is completed the road will reopen fully.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Highways and Transport, Councillor Richard Wilkins, said:
The road closure will cause some inconvenience, and we know this has taken longer that we would have liked.
We must close the road so we can make repairs and then reopen it fully. The damage caused to the embankment was substantial and we’ve been working hard to reduce the risk of a further landslip. I’d like to thank everyone for their patience while the work is done. It is vital we reopen both lanes as soon as possible.
Looking ahead, we will consider a more comprehensive plan, but this would need significant funding. Any option will need to be costed and designed, but we are moving ahead with this work due to the importance of the A30 locally and regionally.
