Link Road contractors respond to criticism

Drivers are being warned to watch out for frequent changes in the layout of the Borners Bridge junction between North Molton and South Molton, while contractors work towards finishing the final design (pictured right).

“You will see a lot of changes here over the next two months as we complete the new alignment,” said the project manager for Griffiths. “We would advise motorists to exercise caution as road layouts will change frequently due to the complex nature of the roadworks.”

Molton Monthly revealed earlier this year that the £67 million North Devon Link Road upgrade is now facing a delay of at least six months until “summer 2024”. Large parts of the roadworks had already been scaled back to try to keep within budget due to spiralling construction costs.

Many motorists and locals not only criticised the delays and disruption, but also the perceived lack of quality of the new road surfaces. “As we progress towards the summer we will be focusing on giving all sections of the project its final surfacing. This will address the current poor condition and provide the road with a new lifespan,” the spokesman continued.

In the coming weeks, Borners Bridge roundabout, West Buckland bridge and Landkey footbridge are all set to move nearer completion, alongside final resurfacing work.

The north spur road to West Buckland will be closed during the (early) April school holidays to allow work on the new bridge and its walls, and the junction access roads.

Landkey footbridge installation is planned to start in mid May and will take three weeks to complete. There will be a new road layout and traffic switch from Swimbridge to West Buckland, to enable ‘deep drainage’ works to take place on the north verge.

Griffiths say that while the traffic lights have been removed, there will be further nighttime closures on the A361 right through to the end of the project in summer 2024 to keep work on track. “A big thank you to the local communities for their enduring patience and support,” they added.

For updates: community.griffiths.co.uk/ our_projects/north-devon-link-road/

Above, the final ‘lozenge’ shape of the Borners Bridge junction and below, work continuing

‘Dinosaur’ trees planted in North Devon

They were alive 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs were roaming the earth. Now, in a major new global conservation project, six endangered Wollomia pine saplings from Australia have been planted at RHS Rosemoor.

Scientists say there are now fewer than 100 Wollomia trees growing in the wild, so the team at the botanic gardens near Great Torrington in North Devon are helping to save them from extinction. The pines narrowly escaped being wiped out completely by wildfires in 2019-2020, which burnt about 25 million acres of land in eastern Australia.

“The species is now classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature,” said Roz Mitchell from RHS Rosemoor. “The pines we have planted are part of the first global ‘metacollection’ designed to safeguard the species from extinction.”

For the first time, collections of saplings are being made available to botanic gardens across the world. Locations have been chosen with a suitable climate, best suited for the trees to survive the climate changes ahead as part of global efforts to preserve threatened plants.

The tree saplings went through strict quarantine after being imported from Australia, and have now been planted on a woodland bank on the northern border of RHS Rosemoor.