A MAJOR scheme to upgrade one of Wellington’s main roads will result in “traffic chaos” for both locals and holidaymakers, according to local councillors.

The Chelston link road (also known as the ‘concrete carriageway’) connects junction 26 of the M5 to Wellington, the Westpark 26 business park and the A38 towards Taunton.

Somerset Council announced in late-April that it would begin an upgrade to the link road in mid-June – almost five years after the Department for Transport (DfT) provided the bulk of the necessary funding.

Ahead of public drop-in events for the scheme, local councillors have raised concerns about increased traffic on the A38 and smaller roads, fearing congestion during one of the busiest times of the year.

Councillors raised their concerns at a virtual meeting of the Wellington and Wiveliscombe local community network (LCN) on April 22, the day before details of the scheme were announced to the public.

The scheme will be split into four phases, with work beginning on the junction 26 roundabout and then moving north towards Wellington.

Phase one will begin on the western part of the roundabout on June 15, with the motorway slip roads being closed to all vehicles (save for National Highways vehicles which need to access the nearby Chelston depot).

Phase two, which concerns the eastern part of the roundabout, will get under way by the end of July and complete the construction of the road under the motorway itself.

Phases three and four will involve the reconstruction and resurfacing of the Chelston Link Road itself between the two roundabouts, with much of this work being carried out concurrently with phases one and two wherever possible.

Phase three will concentrate on the section between Foxmoor Business Park and the M5 (with access to the former being maintained via the A38), while phase four will focus on the northern section leading towards Westpark 26.

Since junction 26 will be closed for the duration of the work, motorists wishing to reach Wellington from the M5 will have to exit at either junction 27 (Tiverton) or junction 25 (Taunton) and use the A38 in each direction.

Mrs Lloyd, who also sits on Wellington Town Council, said she hoped the new road surface would be long-lasting to prevent further disruption to motorists and further costs being borne by Somerset Council.

She said: “I hope that the new surface will be better than the surface dressing that’s been used on the A38 – that’s very dangerous.”

John Thorne, who also sits on Wellington Town Council, said he was “disappointed” by how little notice local people had received of the scheme, given the major delays involved.

“If there’s an incident where the police has to close both sides of the motorway, the police will manage that.”

Public drop-in events about the scheme will be held on the following dates: