£18.8m A38 upgrade approved with M5 junction ‘throughabout’

Somerset Council has approved £18.8m of improvements to the A38 between Burnham-on-Sea and Barrow Gurney, with work expected to start in early 2027.

The scheme includes a ‘throughabout’ at the Edithmead roundabout near junction 22 of the M5, where traffic signals will route the heaviest flows through the centre of the roundabout to improve capacity and prevent queues backing onto the motorway.

The Government will provide £9m of the total budget, subject to Department for Transport approval of the final business case submitted in June.

Somerset Council’s executive approved £7.34m this week, including Local Transport Grant funding and underspend from previous schemes, with developer contributions providing the remainder.

Cllr Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s lead member for highways and transport, said: “We have worked hard to lobby Government to support these vital improvements which include more capacity on the Edithmead roundabout to cope with future economic and residential growth, and some safety improvements at key junctions on the route.”

The A38 forms part of the Major Road Network and is the main route linking the road network to Bristol Airport.

Other works in the Somerset Council area include safety improvements at Rooksbridge, a staggered junction at Cross, and enhanced visibility measures at the Strawberry Line crossing.

Centregreat will carry out the Edithmead work, procured as part of its contract for the recent Dunball junction 23 scheme, while Octavius will deliver the other improvements.

North Somerset Council is handling procurement and delivery of works in its own area as part of the joint project.

The route is operating close to capacity at many junctions, leading to varying travel speeds, poor conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and unreliable journey times.