A38 Dobwalls Bypass

The Dobwalls Bypass is a 1.5 mile scheme on the A38 and A390 in Cornwall to bypass the village to the north with a dual carriageway and create a short S2 link to the west for the A390. Upon completion, traffic in the village was reduced by 90%.

History

The A38/A390 junction (as was)

A need for a bypass of Dobwalls was first identified in the 1960s, though it took until 2003 until a preferred route was announced, bypassing the village to the north. By the 2000s, 21,000 vehicles per day were passing through the village, thus number increased by 20% throughout the summer tourist season. The initial cost for the bypass was estimated to be £17 million but by the time a public inquiry was held in January 2006 this had risen to £33m. The go ahead to build the bypass was given in August 2006.

Construction

Progress in July 2008

Official construction of the bypass started on 6 February 2007 when Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman cut the turf. In June, 4,000 year old pottery from the Bronze Age was found on the route of the bypass.

During September 2008, the bypass was opened with a single lane in each direction, still operating with a 40 mph speed limit, it was not fully opened until 19 December 2008. The actual cost of the bypass was £54m, including two bat bridges costing £250,000

Links

• Fozimage: Dobwalls Bypass (archive.org)

National Highways

• Post Opening Project Evaluation - A438 Dobwalls Bypass - Five Years After  July 2015 (archive.org)