A full closure of the A361 at Burrowbridge during the summer holidays has been scaled back by Somerset Council.

The roadworks will begin on Monday, 29 June, on Main Road in Burrowbridge, where the council is replacing traffic lights on the bridge over the River Parrett.

The A361 is a key route across the Somerset Levels, linking Taunton with villages including Burrowbridge and onward routes towards Street, Glastonbury and Langport.

The council had originally planned to close the road completely from late July.

But after feedback from local residents, the full closure has been pushed back to Monday, 3 August.

That means more of the early work will be carried out under temporary traffic lights.

The full closure will now run from Monday, 3 August, until Wednesday, 2 September.

During that period, this section of the A361 will be closed in both directions at all times.

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The council said crossing facilities will remain in place, and access for residents and businesses, including The King Alfred Inn, will be maintained throughout the scheme.

The traffic signals on either side of the bridge are more than 30 years old and are nearing the end of their service life.

Somerset Council said replacing them is needed to reduce the risk of failure and longer disruption for motorists and pedestrians.

The work follows recent signal upgrades at Dunster Steep near Minehead and on the A39 Westway in Street.

As part of the Burrowbridge scheme, kerbs near the bridge will be widened to create more room for pedestrians where Main Road meets the River Parrett Trail.

The signalised crossing on the western side of the bridge will also be replaced and upgraded.

Battered kerbs on the eastern approach will be repaired or replaced.

A stretch of the A361 will be resurfaced at the end of the project, improving the approach through the village and towards Burrow Mump.

Councillor David Fothergill, whose Monkton and North Curry division includes Burrowbridge, welcomed the revised timing on social media.

He said: "Looks like the Burrowbridge road closure will be pushed back to August 3 to avoid other scheduled roadworks in Langport.

"I'm slightly surprised that no-one put two and two together until after it's all been publicised."

A Somerset Council spokesperson said the change followed talks with BT Openreach.

The spokesperson said: "After liaising with BT Openreach, we have pushed back the full closure of the A361 at Burrowbridge until August 3, as opposed to July 23, to allow BT Openreach to undertake some urgent work on the A378 Bow Street in Langport between July 27 and August 2.

"This ensures we are not closing two strategically important routes to Taunton at the same time.

"As a result, the full closure will now be in place for a shorter period of time."

During the full closure, traffic heading to villages east of Burrowbridge will be diverted back along the A361 to Walford Cross, then onto the A38 through North Petherton, through Bridgwater town centre and out on the A372 towards Westonzoyland and Othery.

Drivers heading towards Taunton from east of Burrowbridge will follow the same diversion in reverse.

The diversion could add up to 21 miles to journeys in each direction.

Smaller vehicles may be able to use local roads for shorter routes, but these will not be advertised as official diversions.

Further details of roadworks are available through Somerset Council's roadworks and travel pages.

Members of the public can contact the project's public liaison officer, Syed Shah, by emailing [email protected] or calling 07812 449605.

Original reporting: Daniel Mumby/LDRS

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