26th January 2017
By Graham Smith
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Motorists in Falmouth are steeling themselves for major roadworks, due to start on Monday (30^th January) which will see the current road layout at Treluswell replaced with one single roundabout.  The project is expected to take at least a year.

The £2.9 million scheme will replace the two mini-roundabouts.  Cornwall Council says the A39 Falmouth Gateway project will include the strengthening of an embankment and lead to improvements to visibility for drivers approaching the junction from Truro.

With around 31,000 vehicles using the junction each day, Treluswell is a key meeting point for roads from Penryn, Falmouth, Truro and Redruth and regularly suffers from congestion during peak periods, with queue lengths of more than 85 vehicles on some approaches.

The council says the new roundabout will eventually cut journey times on average by around 37%.

The work will take place in several phases, with the majority of construction carried out at night.

"As any motorists who use the current mini roundabouts will know, this is a very busy junction and we need to act now, not only to alleviate the current pressures, but also to cater for future growth," said Vicky Fraser, from Cornwall Council's Transport team. "The pressures on the junction are clear and this is one of the reasons why we were successful in gaining Government funding to carry out the improvements."

David Seville, Senior Project Manager for CORMAC, said: “We are always mindful of the needs of commuters who use the route, residents who live nearby and businesses which rely on the road being open to traffic. Access to businesses near the junction will be maintained at all times and we will regularly provide information on the progress of the scheme and advance notice of any significant works.”

Councillor Peter Williams, Cornwall Council Local Member for Mabe, Perranarworthal and St Gluvias, said: “I am extremely pleased to see works begin to improve the Treluswell Roundabout, these works will be of great benefit locally by improving the flow of traffic and increasing visibility which will improve safety on this stretch on the A39.”

Most of the funding for the scheme came following a successful bid from the Council to the Department for Transport's Local Pinch Point fund, with additional funding from the Growth Deal, section 106 developer contributions and the Local Transport Plan.

The project is the latest to be supported by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership’s £60m Growth Deal, which aims to speed up the delivery of new homes and jobs by removing barriers to growth. Other Growth Deal projects are on site at Saltash, Truro and Bodmin, with more to follow.