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The £42 million landmark scheme opened in May 2007 after more than two years of construction. The bypass is the biggest single civil engineering project prepared and awarded by the County Council for over 20 years, it has been completed on time and to budget.

It aids in reducing congestion, which in turn lowers the amount of carbon emissions released by traffic. The bypass also provides other environmental benefits with cycleways and footpaths offering alternatives to using the car.

The scheme includes 1km of associated side roads, three new junctions, a 60 metre long viaduct, as well as access from the bypass to the Tarka Trail National Cycle Network and the South West Coast Path National Trail. Cyclists, pedestrians and buses can use a dedicated route underneath Station viaduct to gain access to the railway station and town centre without having to use the new junction.

Uniquely, in an era of environmental awareness, construction of Barnstaple Western Bypass achieved almost total support from both the general public and local politicians and it was this support which ensured that the project retained its place as the number one priority major road scheme.

The Scheme
The scheme principally involves the construction of 3.7km of single two-lane carriageway with associated footways/cycle ways, a 409m long five span bridge over the River Taw, a 60m long three span viaduct and a number of underpasses, culverts and mammal tunnels.

The bypass included the construction of three new junctions, the most significant of which is an elevated signal-controlled roundabout. The level of this junction is approximately eight metres above original ground level and was designed to allow for future railway structures beneath the new road network.