Motorists using the A 303 between Gillingham and Yeovil are set to enjoy smoother and faster journeys after National Highways’ Sparkford to Ilchester upgrade opened to traffic this Monday.

The multi-million-pound scheme has involved upgrading a 3.5-mile section of single carriageway to a dual carriageway, which local organisations hope will help to promote economic growth, improve journey times, and increase safety by unlocking a major road bottleneck in the area.

The new section of dual carriageway will significantly reduce travel time in the region, cutting congestion throughout the school holidays and for daily commuters.

National Highways has:

• Upgraded 3.5 miles of existing single carriageway to dual carriageway.
• Built 3 new junctions at Camel Cross, Downhead and Hazlegrove which safely separate traffic.
• Built two new structures, a bridge at Steart Hill and an underpass at Hazlegrove, which will allow all road users to cross the A303 safely.
• Excavated and redistributed 900,000m3 of earth and soil to create cuttings up to 10m in depth and embankments up to 12m in height to provide a level route for the new road.

National Highways says it has also planted 89 individual native trees as well as:

• Creating hectares of woodland and linear belts of trees
• Establishing more than 6 miles of new hedgerow
• Working more than 1,000,000 hours on the scheme
• Completing three full weekend closures

Siân Hopkins, National Highways’ senior project manager, said: ‘The whole team has worked incredibly hard to move the scheme forward and achieve the opening of the new stretch of A303 this November, overcoming a number of challenges along the way.

‘This will make a significant and positive difference to the journeys of visitors, local communities, and businesses – this year and into the future. I would like to thank everyone in Somerset for their patience and support since construction of the project started back in 2021.
‘It’s a terrific achievement for all involved, motorists and residents will benefit from shorter journey times and improved access. The scheme will unlock greater mobility and be a catalyst for growth throughout the region.’

Glennan Blackmore, managing director for Galliford Try Infrastructure, commented: ‘We are delighted to have completed this vital new piece of infrastructure on behalf of National Highways that will make such a difference to the lives of local people in the region.

‘The A303 has been a considerable undertaking for our team and our stakeholders, which has delivered not only a high-quality finished project, but also added significant social value to the local community along the way, and I commend all those involved for their success.’

Now the scheme is open for traffic, it is expected to provide several benefits to road users, businesses, the local community and tourists.

These include:

• Providing more reliable journey times
• Improving safety and reducing driver stress by providing a more free-flowing network
  Providing safer local access provisions for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised users
• Supporting the local economy to grow through the creation of a modernised and reliable road which reduces delays and makes the South West more accessible for tourism and business
• Improving the environment by reducing pollution from queuing traffic, particularly during the busy summer months.Whilst the main A303 dual carriageway is now open for traffic, work is still happening at night, and in other areas close to the scheme. This is because the project team are finishing work on the central reservation of the new road, local accesses, side roads and the surrounding landscape.

  The project is due to finish these works in early 2025.

  Throughout the build, those behind scheme say they have also been conscious of leaving a lasting legacy for the local community and surrounding area, including:

• Over £55,000 worth of funding to local communities through the Social Value Fund
• Secured new basketball hoops for Charlton playing fields, allotment equipment for Trent Young’s Primary School and camping equipment for Camelot Harriers Explorers

On-site archaeologists have helped to chart the history of the area and have discovered a selection of artefacts such as:

• A copper alloy brooch, decorated with enamel-filled lozenges, dating back to between AD 60–150
•  Worked bone point which could have been used as a pin, skewer, weaving shuttle or pin beater for textile manufacture
• Mesolithic chert and flint tools
• Neolithic flint knives and charred plant remains from Neolithic pits

To find out more, visit  https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/a303-sparkford-to-ilchester