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The Barnstaple Western Bypass is a congestion-relief scheme designed to take road traffic away from the town centre of
Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...
, a market town in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
,
South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...
. Construction of the new road started in the Spring of 2005 and it was opened on 23 May 2007.


History

The scheme consists of a single two-lane carriageway, one roundabout and three
traffic signal Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic. Traffic light ...
controlled junctions. of new road was constructed and a long, five-span, downstream bridge was built across the
River Taw The River Taw () rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor, crosses North Devon and at the town of Barnstaple, formerly a significant port, empties into Bideford Bay in the Bristol Channel, having formed a large ...
. A new
roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
was created between the Newport and Roundswell roundabouts: this has a feeder lane which provides easy access from the A39 Atlantic Highway to the
A361 The A361 is an A class road in southern England, which at is the longest three-digit A road in the UK. History When first designated in 1922, the A361 ran from Taunton (Somerset) to Banbury (Oxfordshire). It was later extended west through B ...
Braunton Road which generates much of Barnstaple's traffic. The bridge is a balanced cantilever design with reinforced concrete box girders supporting the arms. Other constructions include stream culverts, two pedestrian/cycleway underpasses, minor retaining walls, and a 100-metre three span viaduct providing access for buses, cyclists and pedestrians to Barnstaple railway station. The plans allowed for reopening of the Barnstaple-
Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...
railway, should this become financially viable. As with any project of this scale, many companies were employed in the development. Edmund Nuttall Ltd., a major civil engineering group, was the main contractor. It was estimated to cost £42 million. £38 million of this amount came from the central government.
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
County Council also contributed. An economic impact study estimated that after 5 years the project would generate an extra £248 million in business turnover and would create 1,280 jobs.


Opening ceremony

Up to 20,000 people were expected to attend the Taw Bridge Family Fun Day. The event was organised to raise money for charity and to commemorate the completion of the Western Bypass and Downstream Bridge. The ceremony took place on the Pottington side of the bridge at 11:00 and members of the public were able to walk over the new bridge from 11:30. A Fun Run started from Park School at 12:00. At 14:30 A tug-of-war competition took place on the bridge itself . A final grand parade was to start at 16:00 and at 17:30 an evening concert in St Peter's Church was to end the day. North Devon Gazette
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Critics

Critics said that the Western Bypass would endanger wildlife and the environment.
Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...
campaigner and
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
candidate Anthony Bown claimed it would disturb large numbers of seabirds on the Taw and Torridge Estuary, along with the habitat of endangered otters. They were also worried that the bypass would attract more vehicles and therefore further contribute to pollution, but it was also argued that the bypass reduced pollution by substantially reducing traffic jams and journey times in and around Barnstaple. Some locals were also upset that the decoration chosen for one of the new roundabouts comprised Cornish stone, as the road is really a gateway to North Devon. The old railway line from Barnstaple to Bideford was partially built over, meaning it will be more expensive to re-open the line in the future.


References


External links


Barnstaple Bypass Webcam
* ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/image_galleries/barnstaple_new_bridge_gallery.shtml?1 BBC photo gallery of the project {{coord missing, Devon Western Bypass Roads in Devon Transport in Devon