A30 dual carriageway opens improving links to Cornwall
A long awaited stretch of dual carriageway has opened on the A30 near Bodmin in Cornwall marking the end of two and a half years of roadworks and delays... and at a cost of £60m.
The cones were removed by 6am this morning paving the way for an opening ceremony conducted by Cllr Geoff Brown - the Cornwall councillor with the responsibility for transport. All that remains is for some landscaping.
This used to be a notorious bottleneck, creating long traffic jams during the summer months. Mick Martin was instrumental in setting up the A30 Action Group which campaigned for a dual carriageway at Temple. He lives in Millpool and witnessed the chaos, particularly when the main road was closed by accidents.
Here Mick Martin tells our correspondent Steve Hardy about the problems caused by the bottleneck.
The three lane section at Temple not only caused bottlenecks,it also resulted in serious accidents,some fatal. Police traffic officer Simon Bishop was often called out there.
After calls to improve transport links in the Duchy, work began in 2015 to turn the A30 between Temple and Higher Carlake into a dual carriageway. Those roadworks themselves caused their own delays resulting in fury from commuters and traders alike.
Our Cornwall reporter Kathy Wardle was at the opening of the segment of dual carriageway. Here she talks to Scott Mann, the Conservative MP for North Cornwall, about the changes.
After today the long tailbacks should be gone, peace at last for the long suffering communities on its doorstep.