A30 closure: Traffic warning issued in Cornwall as 'notorious' roundabout removed

chiverton cgi from National Highways
Chiverton roundabout on the A30. Credit: National Highways

Drivers are being warned to plan ahead as the 'worst accident blackspot' in Cornwall is removed during a weekend A30 closure.

The notorious Chiverton Cross roundabout, on the outskirts of Truro, will soon be a thing of the past due to the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade.

Construction work will mean the A30 is closed between the Scorrier and Boxheater junctions this weekend.

A two-mile section of the A390 will also be closed from the Chiverton roundabout to Langarth Park to allow for works to construct a new westbound slip road at Three Burrows.

During the closure - which will run from 8pm on Friday 16 June to 6am on Monday 19 June - eastbound traffic will be diverted via the A3075 to Goonhavern and the B3285 to re-join the A30 at Boxheater, with the westbound diversion operating in reverse.

For HGVs and Truro access, the diversion will be via the A39, A393 and A3047, while access will be maintained across the A30, via the B3284 at Chybucca for emergency services’ vehicles. Diversion routes have been communicated to bus companies.

A computer generated image of what the new junction will look like Credit: National Highways

National Highways’ senior project manager for the scheme Neil Winter said: “We’re not only removing the Chiverton roundabout but also Cornwall’s worst accident hotspot.

"We appreciate the closure will have an effect on people’s journeys, and we understand roadworks can be frustrating, but we are carrying out this essential work over one weekend, and working alongside Cornwall Council and the Royal Cornwall Hospital to ensure access is maintained as much as possible."

According to National Highways, traffic flows on the A30 are forecast to rise by up to 29% to 2038. It says removing the roundabout will help to meet two of its objectives - to remove congestion and improve safety along the route.

Mr Winter added: “Safety is our number one priority, the collision data highlighted the issue at the roundabout before we started the scheme and the latest police data shows Chiverton has the highest number of collisions - 14 between the start of 2019 and the end of 2021."

Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for transport Connor Donnithorne said: “These largely government-funded works will significantly enhance this vitally important and strategic route by alleviating congestion, improving safety, as well as helping to improve journey times for local people, businesses, and visitors by tackling one of Cornwall’s last major bottlenecks."

He continued: “It will also help to unlock economic growth in the Duchy, and I hope that residents will feel that the temporary inconvenience caused by these necessary road closures will be far outweighed by the benefits of improving this stretch of the A30.”

The new carriageway is scheduled to be opened in winter 2023/2024.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme is being funded by central Government.