Holiday in this country....it's the thing to do people!

Of course, there would have been no point in sorting out the bottleneck at Stonehenge and just moving it further down the A303, so the timing of this inclusion is critical and necessary.....

https://highwaysengland.co.uk/our-work/south-west/a303-sparkford-to-ilchester/

A303 Sparkford to Ilchester

Planning permission granted

On 29 January the Secretary of State’s granted the Development Consent Order to upgrade the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester.  We’re thrilled at this decision as this scheme will support a growth in jobs and housing by creating a free-flowing and reliable connection between the south east and south west. 

You can view our application and the decision on the Planning Inspectorates webpage.

The A303/A358 corridor is a vital connection between the South West and London and the South East.

While much of the corridor is a dual carriageway, there are still over 35 miles of single carriageway. These sections act as congestion bottlenecks, particularly in the summer months and at weekends, causing delays to road users, and they add to an increased risk of accidents.

We're proposing to dual a three-mile single carriageway section between Sparkford and Ilchester. On an average day the road carries 23,500 vehicles, but numbers increase significantly in the summer, particularly at weekends making journeys unreliable and unpredictable. This scheme will reduce congestion, improve journey times and make our network safer for customers.

The new dualled section will start east of Podimore Roundabout and will follow the alignment of the existing A303 to Downhead. Travelling eastwards, it then moves north of the existing A303 single carriageway, allowing the existing road to be kept for use as a local road in this section.

The route then rises up West Camel Hill before crossing over the existing A303 at the junction with Steart Hill/Howell Hill. It then takes a southerly alignment before meeting up with the existing road again to pass between Vale Farm and the MOD signal station at Eyewell/Traits Land.

Finally, the route bypasses the existing Hazlegrove Roundabout to the north through the Registered Park and Garden associated with Hazlegrove House, before tying into the existing A303 Sparkford Bypass.