From Adrian Lane, Exeter 383262, October 15, 2007

ESSENTIAL structural maintenance work will start on the A381 from Harbertonford to Gerston Cross, near Totnes, next week.

The £750,000 scheme, which will get underway on Monday 22 October, will carry out necessary maintenance works on more than 3.6km of A-road. The work by Bardon Contracting, on behalf of Devon County Council, is expected to take nine weeks, although construction will temporarily cease between Friday 7 December and Friday 4 January.

Around 25,000 square metres of the A381 will be resurfaced, and 12,500 square metres will be reconstructed. Improvements will also be made to drainage, ironwork, footway, kerbing, signs and road markings and some tree maintenance will be carried out.

There are a number of side roads, with business and residential accesses throughout the village of Harbertonford and onto Gerston Cross, but disruption will be kept to a minimum.

The work will be carried out during the following hours:

(a) 09:30 to 19:00: for sections of road in excess of six metre width, the traffic control will either be under quad bike speed control, or under normal traffic light control or manual Stop/Go boards.

(b) 19:00 to 07:00: for sections of road in excess of 5.5 metres but less than six metre width, the traffic will be under quad bike speed control.

There will be two minor road closures for drainage purposes at Brockhills Cross and Langridge Cross.