Road improvements to begin at Truro's Trafalgar Roundabout

Work on a new £2.25m scheme to improve the road and utility network to the east of Truro city centre is due to begin on Friday 21 September. The planned changes around Trafalgar Roundabout, Tregolls Road and Morlaix Avenue are being carried out to improve traffic flow and access for pedestrians and cyclists, upgrade the road surface, support public transport and re-route vital utility pipes.

Trafalgar Roundabout is one of the busiest junctions in Truro carrying an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 vehicles each day.

To avoid peak traffic periods, the work has been scheduled to take place mainly at night. The 12 month scheme, which is being carried out by CORMAC Solutions Ltd with Wales and West Utilities and South West Water, has also been planned to avoid key Truro events such as the City of Truro Carnival, Truro Half Marathon and the City of Lights parade, as well as late night Christmas shopping.

Explaining the reasons for the improvement works, Ian Pearne, Group Engineer for Cornwall Council says: "With a deteriorating road surface and upgrades planned by several utility companies, we have scheduled this work to take place at the same time as the road and junction improvements. This will ensure disruption to motorists and local residents is kept to a minimum.

"The finished scheme will reduce congestion on the approaches to Trafalgar Roundabout, as well as provide greater security for pedestrians crossing the busy A39 to the north of the roundabout."

"As this work is taking place on one of the busiest commuter routes in Truro we appreciate that motorists and local residents will be concerned about potential disruption," added Sam Ward from CORMAC Solutions Ltd. 

"The majority of the works will take place between 7pm and 6.30am and we realise that residents may have concerns about noise levels. We have however, programmed the work with road users and residents in mind and the work has been structured so that the noise levels are greatly reduced from 11pm.

"We have talked to local residents about the scheme and during the works, members of the public are very welcome to visit our site office to talk about any concerns they might have."

South West Water's Infrastructure Delivery Manager, Les Metcalfe, added: "South West Water will be replacing 298 metres of pipe work, which will help us to deliver top quality drinking water to our customers in the area for year to come. It will be necessary to turn off customers' water supply for short periods of time while we complete this work, but we will notify affected customers in advance. 

"We would like to thank the residents and road users of Truro whose cooperation and support will enable all parties to complete these essential works on schedule and with minimal inconvenience to everyone involved."

As part of the works, a new pedestrian crossing will be built between the police station and the petrol station on Tregolls Road as well as a new right turn into Quay Street for buses travelling southbound on Morlaix Avenue.

"This scheme demonstrates our commitment to improving Truro's infrastructure into the future," said Councillor Graeme Hicks, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for Transportation and Highways.

"Not only are we improving the road network to cater for an increase in traffic, we are making the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists and supporting public transport."

For more information on the roadworks, including the timescales and frequently asked questions, visit http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/trafalgar