Final phase of junction 19 road works to start in September

THE final phase of a multi million pound scheme to improve traffic flow on Portishead's gridlocked motorway junction is to start in September.

The work is the third and final phase of the scheme, which is costing £3million and is being carried out by North Somerset Council and the Highways Agency.

The work carried out in the first phase included the refurbishment of the existing traffic lights, the replacement of crash barriers, highway drainage repair works, and the resurfacing of the carriageway on the roundabout, which was essential to bring the existing roundabout up to current standards. 

The second phase to widen the northbound on slip road from a single to dual lane merge slip road was completed in May of this year. 

The benefits of this element of the work will only be realised when the final phase of the work has been completed. 

The final phase of the work will include two new sets of traffic lights being installed at the two A369 approaches to M5 junction 19 and carriageway widening works to create short approach lanes at both the A369 entries to the roundabout and an additional exit lane merge to Portishead. 

The objective of these combined works is to make the junction 19 roundabout more efficient and to make better use of the available road space to improve traffic flow and reduce journey times for all road users.

The scheme will also include the creation of an HOV (high-occupancy vehicle)/bus lane on the A369 Martcombe Road and the installation of traffic lights at the junction of the A369 with St George's Hill and Portbury High Street.

This HOV lane is part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) local transport scheme.

The improvements have been partly funded by developer Persimmon as part of a 106 planning agreement drawn up as a result of the huge housing development at The Ashlands in Portishead, together with a grant from Government as part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network major improvement scheme  and cash from the council 's Local Transport Plan.

The cost of upgrading the existing signals on the roundabout has been funded by the Highways Agency and the council funded the carriageway resurfacing and barrier upgrade works.

North Somerset Council's deputy leader and executive member for highways, Councillor Elfan Ap Rees, said that the various phases of work had been co-ordinated into one programme to ensure that disruption has been kept to a minimum.

Mr Ap Rees said: "The first two phases of the works were successfully carried out jointly between the Highways Agency and North Somerset Council on time and to budget. 

"By working together cost savings have been generated for both organisations, and the overall period of time to carry

"It has also meant that we have achieved best value in the procurement of the works. 

" To avoid working at junction 19 over the peak holiday period, when the traffic flows at times reach saturation point, we have programmed the final phase of the works to start in September."

The majority of the final phase of the work will be carried out at night to ensure  there will be minimal disruption to peak-time traffic flows and also to provide a safer working environment for the contractors on site.   

It is hoped that when complete the improvements will mean an end to the tailbacks along the Portbury Hundreds and 369.

Some mornings commuters are forced to sit in long tailbacks on the Portbury Hundreds to get across the motorway roundabout and into Bristol.

At peak times traffic also often tails back on the Portbury side of the A369, often stretching back more than a mile past the Rudgleigh Inn.

The situation reaches crisis point, with the whole of Portishead coming to a standstill, if the motorway is congested or if there is an accident.