A new £1.4 million roundabout will be built at Kitterford Cross in south Devon after proposals were approved by Devon County Council’s Cabinet (Wednesday 14 July).
Cabinet members gave their backing to construct the roundabout on the A3121 as part of the Safer Roads Fund Project.
Construction could start in the Autumn if land agreements, ecological surveys and archaeological surveys are completed, and subject to final approval of the scheme.
The junction is currently a crossroads, but the A3121 does not have priority through the junction despite carrying the majority of traffic. Visibility on the approach to the existing crossroads is also restricted by the existing layout, topography and hedgebanks.
The scheme is among a series of safety improvements on the A3121 which connects to the A379 west of Modbury to Ermington and the A38 east of Ivybridge.
This has included a new roundabout which has been built at Hollowcombe Cross to improve the connection of the A3121 with the A379, enabling the Modbury Cross access to the A379 to be closed.
The narrow stretch of road from Wrangaton to Sign of the Owl Cross has also been widened, and the junctions at Well Cross and Ware Cross have been squared up through the removal of central grass islands. Road markings and signs have also been checked and upgraded where necessary along the route.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “This scheme is a major element of the upgrade on the A3121 which will help to improve safety on the road, and it follows on from a series of measures that target the main areas of concern along the route. Local consultation and engagement identified a strong desire for the Council to consider a higher cost roundabout junction, and this request was supported and developed further by the County Council. We have provided an additional £1 million of funding through the Local Transport Plan which enhances the overall project.”
The scheme has been developed following the County Council’s successful bid to the Government’s “Safer Roads Fund”, and Devon County Council has also added £1 million of its Local Transport Plan funding to the scheme.
Two specific locations along the A3121 were identified as frequent collision points, and Kitterford Cross is one of them, with seven injury collisions between 2012 and 2016. The other location is the junction with the A379 west of Modbury, where there were nine during the same period.
The improvement scheme also supports the ‘Vision Zero’ ambition of the South West Peninsula Road Safety Partnership (SWPRSP), of which Devon County Council is a member, to ensure the county’s roads are free of fatalities and serious injuries by 2040.