A NEW roundabout is to be built on the main A386 approach to Tavistock ? a move sparked by the creation of a major new housing estate on the outskirts of the town. The roundabout will be constructed between the Anderton Lane junction with the main Plymouth to Tavistock road and the existing entrance into Bishopsmead, providing a safe entrance into the new estate. It is being built by the developers of the new estate at no cost to the county council ? the roundabout was a condition of planning consent for the estate, which will include 220 houses. Brian George, the county?s local service officer, last Friday told members of West Devon?s highways and traffic orders committee that street lighting would also be provided by the developers and a new, 40mph speed limit was proposed between the existing 30mph speed limit and a point just before the junction with Anderton Lane. Anderton Lane itself would have a new 30mph speed limit. ?The proposal also improves safety for users of the nearby public footpath who cross the A386, by providing a new centre refuge to cross and by improving visibility,? said Mr George. ?It is worth noting that a lot of the roundabout construction work will be off the line of the road, so a large part of the works will happen with limited disruption.? He said construction of the new roundabout was due to start in January 2006 and be ?substantially complete? by May. ?This avoids the sensitive travel periods that occur during late spring and summer ? completion will allow proper access into the site by construction traffic associated with the new development, rather than the hazards associated with temporary site access,? he said.
