Somerset Council has been working with North Somerset Council to secure funding for ten schemes to improve the A38 between the Edithmead roundabout (near junction 22 of the M5) and the airport, in a bid to cut congestion at key pinch points, improve journey times to and from the airport and unlock new development sites.
The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed in early-July (shortly after the government’s spending review) that it would provide funding for these upgrades, just over four years after the proposals first saw the light of day in June 2021.
Since this announcement, the two councils have been working on the final business cases, which must be submitted to and approved by the Treasury before more than £26m of funding can be released.
North Somerset Council has now indicated that the work could begin in June 2026 if this approval is forthcoming – with Somerset Council stating it is “working to the same submission and delivery dates” as its counterpart.
Of the ten schemes which were originally put forward to the DfT in the outline business case, four lie within Somerset Council’s boundaries and six within the boundaries of North Somerset Council.
The four Somerset schemes are as follows:
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- Upgrading the Edithmead roundabout: this roundabout, which links Highbridge to junction 22 of the M5, will be turned into a ‘throughabout’ and signalised from all approaches (along the lines of the Dunball roundabout upgrade currently being implemented at junction 23). The ‘through lane’ will run from the motorway onto the northbound A38 Bristol Road, cutting journey times towards the airport
- Rooksbridge road safety improvements: new road markings and possibly traffic calming measures will be put in place to slow traffic speeds through the village and improve pedestrian safety
- Redesigning the Cross junction: this busy junction sees the A38 Bridgwater Road join Old Cross Road into the small village of Cross and Cross Lane towards Axbridge and Cheddar. The junction will be remodelled into a staggered junction to improve road safety, with some land being purchased from neighbouring landowners
- Improving the Strawberry Line crossing: the Strawberry Line active travel route currently crosses the A38 at Shute Shelve, on the edge of the Mendip Hills, via a staggered ‘sheep-pen’-style crossing. This crossing will be improved to make it safer – with the Strawberry Line Society pushing for it to be replaced with a new footbridge, similar to one installed over the B3136 West Shepton in Shepton Mallet back in October 2024
Along with these improvements, bus stops and walking and cycling facilities will be improved at various locations along this route.
In North Somerset, the following improvements will be implemented:
- Widening the footway on the A38 Bristol Road between the A371 and Hillyfields in Sidcot
- Constructing a segregated cycle track in Langford between the B3133 Langford Road junction and the A368 Churchill Gate crossroads
- Delivering a shared use path between the Airport Terminal roundabout and Silver Zone roundabout, with the carriageway being widened to provide bus lanes and dedicated turning lanes
- Upgrading the shared use path between the Airport Terminal roundabout and West Lane in Lulsgate Bottom, with a signalised crossing over the A38
- Constructing a shared used path on the northern side of the A38 between Barrow Lane and Dial Lane in Barrow Gurney, with an existing uncontrolled crossing being widened
- Revising the layout of the Barrow Street junction near the Barrow Gurney Reservoirs, including the northbound bus stop lay-by
At a full council meeting held in Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday evening (September 16), North Somerset Council laid out the timescale for submitting the final business case to the government, and provided an intended start date for all the roadworks.
The final business case is expected to be submitted to the DfT in December, with a decision being expected by the end of March 2026.
The respective councils would formally add the improvement schemes (and by extension the government grant) to their capital programmes by May 2026, allowing work to begin in June 2026 – with an expected completion by the summer of 2027.
Neither council has indicated at this stage whether multiple schemes will be carried out simultaneously, or how the work will otherwise be staggered to reduce congestion.
Rebecca Kinnersley-Fowler, North Somerset Council’s project manager for projects and property, said in her written report: “The current capital programme has a combined authority scheme funding allocation of
£30,954,615.
“All works associated with the Downside Road [Lulsgate Bottom] improvements will be funded via local contributions from Bristol Airport, linked to their 12 million passengers per year expansion planning permission.”
Of the almost £31m allocated for the A38 improvements, nearly £2.9m has already been spent in part or in full on creating the outline and full business cases.
Of the remainder, nearly £24.7m will come from the DfT grant – with North Somerset Council’s six schemes receiving just over £16m and Somerset Council receiving around £8.6m for its four schemes – with the bulk of the latter going towards the Edithmead roundabout upgrade.
Around £2.2m will be provided by housing developments within the North Somerset area, with the remaining £1.2m coming from Somerset Council, either through developer contributions, external borrowing or other government grants.
The Barrow Street junction upgrade will be carried out separately as part of North Somerset Council’s bus services improvement plan (BSIP), which is subject to separate DfT funding.
North Somerset Council has already appointed Octavius to undertake the design and build of its five projects, while Somerset Council has yet to appoint its own contractor.
When Somerset Council appointed Centregreat to deliver improvements to the Dunball roundabout in August 2024, the contract was laid out in such a fashion that it could be extended to include the Edithmead upgrade and other improvements, to save taxpayers time and money on future procurement.
Somerset Council did not dispute the intended start date of the roadworks, but said that the actual dates would depend on how soon the government could approve the final business case.
A spokesperson said: “We are producing the final business case jointly with North Somerset Council.
“As with the outline business case, North Somerset are the authority leading the bid as about two thirds of the funding will be spent on projects in their area.
“We are working to the same submission and delivery dates as North Somerset.
“Once submitted, any timeline will depend upon approvals from central government.”