Somerset Council is focused on ensuring the A30 Hendford Hill can fully reopen as soon as possible following a specialist report on recent damage caused by Storm Chandra.
The busy road in Yeovil is operating southbound only at the moment 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.
A report details how the slope alongside the road is continuing to show instability, including the potential for falling rocks, root movement affecting sandstone layers, overhanging soil dropping away, weathered sandstone flaking off, and material being dislodged by tree movement.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Transport and Waste Service, Councillor Richard Wilkins, said:
It is vital we reopen both lanes as soon as possible – we’re aiming for a few weeks at the most to get the work done.
A number of options were looked at – at this point we have chosen the plan that can open both lanes quickly, so ensuring any debris that does potentially come lose cannot reach the road.In time we will look at a more comprehensive plan but this would need significant funding. Any option will need to be costed and designed, but we are moving at pace with this work due to the importance of the A30 locally and regionally.
Doing nothing is obviously not an option, with the very real potential for further slippage.
Engineers assessed 4 potential approaches:
- Do nothing – reopening the road without intervention. This is not considered safe due to the high risk of further slope failures.
- Inspection and maintenance – removing loose or overhanging material with annual inspections. This reduces some risk but does not prevent debris reaching the road.
- Inspection, maintenance and a protective barrier – adding a barrier at the bottom of the slope. This would narrow the road but significantly reduces risk. The engineering specialists recommend this as the minimum action required to safely reopen the southbound carriageway.
- Reprofiling or strengthening the slope – a longer term engineering solution such as reshaping the bank or using soil nails and mesh. This would lessen hazards more extensively but would require design work, could need access to land above the slope, and would come at higher cost. Maintenance would still be necessary.
The Council is moving forward with the third option in the first instance to reopen the road fully as soon as possible. A plan to work towards the fourth, more comprehensive scheme may be developed subject to funding.
Work is being arranged to install the necessary measures and decide how best to manage the slight reduction in road width. A timeline will be shared once confirmed. In the meantime, the southbound lane will remain closed.
