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Our roads are busy and complex – every day, thousands of journeys take place across North Somerset. Around 30,000 vehicles travel inbound on the A370 at Junction 21, around 21,000 use the A370 Long Ashton Bypass and more than 23,000 use the A369 Portbury Hundreds.
Behind the scenes, a small but dedicated highways team works hard to make sure essential services like water, gas, electricity and broadband can reach our homes and businesses, ensuring communities stay connected and supported. They also help facilitate road improvements, new developments and input into major events such as the Balloon Festival and Weston Carnival.
They also balance the needs of the roads with the requirements of the utilities companies who need to make sure essential services that run under them, such as water, gas, electricity and broadband, can reach our homes and businesses.
Safety is our highest priority. We rigorously review and challenge traffic management plans to ensure full compliance with regulations and to protect both road users and our workforce.
Investing in long-term improvements
Large-scale infrastructure projects can put added pressure on our roads, but they’re vital for the future. We’re currently delivering several major schemes in and around Weston-super-Mare – including the Banwell Bypass and Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) – with government funding requiring completion by 2027.
We’re also replacing Winterstoke Road Bridge, which is in significant disrepair. Without replacement, it would need to close to all traffic in the next few years.
These essential upgrades will improve the resilience and capacity of our roads, helping them cope better with current and future demand.
Managing disruption
Our officers are working in close collaboration with project teams to plan and co-ordinate works, aiming to keep the network running as smoothly as possible. However, because of the scale of these projects and the necessity for traffic management measures, some level of disruption is unfortunately unavoidable.
From time to time, unforeseen events like burst water mains or traffic collisions can also cause significant delays. When this happens, our teams respond promptly, working with partners and key stakeholders to restore normal traffic flow as quickly as possible, though this can take time depending on the complexity of the situation.
Keeping you informed
We publish information on planned works, events and other road activities so residents, businesses and visitors can help plan their journeys.
Advanced signage is also used on schemes to give notice of upcoming road closures and diversions.
We know that works on our network can be inconvenient and we apologise for any disruption caused. However, these essential improvements are key to making our network stronger and prepare it for the future, so everyone can enjoy safer journeys and reliable services.