A30 closure in Cornwall moved to start of half term weekend
National Highways has postponed the installation of a bridge planned for this weekend as part of the upgrading of the A30 from Chiverton to Carland Cross.
The A30 was due to be completely closed between the Boxheater junction and Chiverton Cross roundabout this weekend to allow the installation of a new Tolgroggan accommodation bridge.
This closure has now been lifted and operations will be postponed by one week to the weekend of February 10-13 for further preparatory work.
This means a six-mile stretch of the road will be closed in Cornwall on the first weekend of the February holidays.
Costain, National Highways’ prime road improvement contractor, has identified unsuitable ground conditions for the lifting operation.
Neil Winter, National Highways senior project manager for the A30 project from Chiverton to Carland Cross, said: “Our contractors have identified unsuitable ground conditions for crane operation and we have decided to delay the bridge installation by a week to ensure all this right for a large-scale lift.
“Unfavorable weather – a mix of heavy rains and low temperatures – hasn’t helped lately; these circumstances are beyond our control and the safety and effectiveness of the operation are our primary concerns.
“Although we would have preferred to lift the bridge deck in situ over the coming week, we have allowed contingents in our program and decided to postpone to the following weekend to ensure everything is in place ahead of the installation process and around to provide for people as much as we can.
“The additional time will level the ground in terms of a firmer footing for crane operations and we are confident that a slight delay will help teams do this without impacting our future road opening date.
“We apologize for the confusion caused by the postponement of this weekend’s closure, but we understand that people need to plan their travels and feel we need to show due diligence to ensure everything is safe 100% true.”
To allow for the installation of the new bridge, the A30 will be closed from 8 p.m. on Friday 10 February and reopened to traffic on Monday 13 February at 6 a.m.
Clearly signposted diversions will be put in place via Boxheater Junction and the Chiverton Cross roundabout, with eastbound traffic diverted via the A3075 to Goonhavern and the B3285 to rejoin the A30.
The westbound diversion will operate in reverse, with the B3284 remaining open under temporary traffic lights north and south via Chybucca roundabout.
Ahead of the revised weekend closure, National Highways is advising drivers to plan ahead and allow additional time for their journeys while the bridge installation is completed.
The bridge operation remains dependent on the weather and in the event of bad weather on the newly programmed weekend, another emergency weekend will be scheduled from February 17th to 20th.
During the weekend lockdown drivers can get travel information via the @HighwaysSWEST Twitter feed, by calling the National Highways Information Line on 0300 123 5000 or by accessing the website www.trafficengland.com
