WORK to provide new gas pipes in Wellington town centre could add to the town’s traffic troubles in the new year.

Wales & West Utilities plans to start work on the £85,000-plus project on January 2 and expects it to take 13 weeks to complete ‘barring any unforeseen engineering difficulties’.

The area affected will be from the junction of High Street and Priory to outside the shops in Lancer Court.

The work should be completed by April 1 after which Somerset County Council will start work on a project to ease the traffic queues caused throughout town by the traffic lights at the junction of Longforth Road and High Street.

The WWN reported in October that it is planned to install right-turn lanes along the High Street axis, allowing two-way traffic flows and keeping more vehicles moving longer.

In a letter the WWN has seen, Wales & West said the gas pipe work may at times be inconvenient but it was essential.

For the full story see this week’s Wellington Weekly News.