A382 Project

What exactly is planned for the A382?

The A382 and Jetty Marsh Link improvement scheme is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Devon County Council (DCC) and has been in the planning stages for a number of years. Planning permission has been gained and land acquisition is complete.

The purpose of the project is to increase traffic capacity to the north of Newton Abbot to ease congestion, improve safety, and extend active travel routes, while also unlocking commercial and residential development. The project is comprised of two schemes:

Jetty Marsh Link Road and Whitehills Junction

This part of the scheme provides a new section of road linking the end of West Golds Way with the Whitehills junction. The new section will improve journeys in and out of Newton Abbot by enabling traffic to bypass the restricted Exeter Road section. The link road will join into a new roundabout junction at Whitehills which replaces the existing arrangement with its visibility issues. A footway/cycleway will run alongside the link road and join into the section of path created as part of the last phase of works.

Stover (Ice House Copse) to Forches Cross

These improvements comprise around 1.5 km of highway realignment and widening, including the upgrading of three junctions and extension of the footway/cycleway. The junction between the A382 and the A382/383 link will become a roundabout and visibility will be improved at both the Greycoat Land and Stover School junctions with the latter gaining a dedicated right turn. A pedestrian crossing will be installed near to Forches Cross.

What about the section between Ice House Copse and Drumbridges?

This section was included in the original scheme proposals but relied on additional funding from the DfT which has now been withdrawn. The withdrawal of the additional funds has meant that the scheme has been redrawn to fit within the available budget, however it remains DCC’s aspiration to deliver the improvements in this section in the future once funding is available. In the meantime in those areas where vegetation has been removed we’ll review what can be done to improve the appearance whilst enabling the area to be available for future development.

Why is the A382 project needed?

Overall, the A382 and Jetty Marsh Link project will improve journey times and journey time reliability between Ice House Copse and Newton Abbot, improving the connectivity of Newton Abbot to the Strategic Road Network. This will benefit both businesses and commuters in and around Newton Abbot.

The scheme will extend the segregated pedestrian/cycle route from Newton Abbot to the developments and the A38. It further promotes and provides a safer route for all road users, including active travel users.

The collision rate for the A382 route is 245 collisions per billion vehicle kilometres, higher than both the national and Devon County Council five-year rural A-roads average. Most of the A382 route is of a rural layout, comprising a low standard single carriageway with poor alignment (minimum width 5.5 metres) and no verges. There is no pedestrian provision, and the narrow road is dangerous for non-motorised users.

The route is approaching capacity and therefore delivers a reduced level of service; the section into Newton Abbot town centre is slow moving at peak times.

Additionally, the A382 improvement scheme will help unlock the delivery of 2,500 homes in the adopted Local Plan period on the A382 Corridor and a potential additional 1,300 homes in the Local Plan Update. It will also provide better access to identified employment areas at Forches Cross.

What does ‘carbon negative’ mean for Devon County Council and the A382 project?

Achieving carbon negative means removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than is produced. This goes one step further than the terms ‘carbon neutral’ or ‘net zero’, which usually involves reducing a proportion of emissions and offsetting an amount to overall equalise what is being produced.

By striving to become carbon negative, the A382 project aims to have an overall net effect of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

For more information on Devon’s commitment to tackling climate change, please visit the Devon Climate Emergency website.

How will this project help tackle climate change?

The construction industry is a major source of carbon emissions in the UK, producing over 10 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021. Highways construction and maintenance is a major contributor within that figure, so it is vital that we reduce emissions from construction projects such as the A382 as well as their ongoing maintenance.

This project, by having a net effect of carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere, can therefore provide a substantial improvement on current approaches to highways construction, reducing our carbon footprint and consequently reducing the warming effect of carbon dioxide on our planet.

The project will also go a long way in helping Devon County Council become net-zero as an authority by 2030 and net-zero as a county by 2050. Moreover, the A382 project can help inspire similar projects nationwide, acting as a blueprint for sustainable highways construction projects and sparking change throughout the industry.

Does the carbon negative target also include road users?

As set out in the original Live Labs 2 project brief from ADEPT, the programme aims to decarbonise local highways infrastructure and assets, rather than the vehicles using the roads. The decarbonisation of vehicles is covered by other funding programmes.

More information and guidance on sustainable travel options can be found in the Devon Carbon Plan. However, the A382 project will still promote greener ways of travelling, through the expansion of the local cycle path network.

Are the whole-life environmental impacts of materials used in the project being considered?

Yes, the decision-making process for materials selection includes an assessment of whole-life impact. This includes evaluating the whole-life carbon costs of potential innovations and including the carbon footprint of maintenance within our calculations.

What is ‘offsetting’ and will it be included in the project?

Offsetting is the word often used to describe the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, or an increase in carbon storage, that is used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere. We will not be investing in any offsets that are offered or sold from third-party organisations external to the project – termed ‘commercial’ offsets. Instead, we are investigating potential ‘insetting’ techniques to implement within the project, including nature-based solutions. This means pursuing innovations that reduce, remove, and store long term carbon directly within the project boundaries. Overall, the Oxford Principles will serve as our primary guide to offsetting.

What are the project’s goals on nature improvements? How will you combat what is lost during construction?

The project includes a voluntary commitment by Devon County Council to achieve its 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) target. This ensures that the natural environment and surrounding habitats on the A382 will be, overall, in a better state than they were before the improvements. The project has also incorporated offsite mitigation areas for a wider biodiversity benefit.

The construction project and enabling works will be working in accordance with two protected species licenses: for bats, and for hazel dormice. This will ensure that appropriate methodology is followed to reduce the potential impact and disturbance on these species.

The project has already implemented a tree translocation programme, enabled by Live Labs 2 funding, which involved moving over 2,000 existing healthy native trees to a temporary tree nursery on the side of the A382. Here, trees are continuing to grow and absorb carbon dioxide during the construction period. The same trees will then be replanted on the project as part of the planned landscaping.

Where will water go when there is a new road at Jetty Marsh?

The new Jetty Marsh Link Road will sit on an embankment, which will also include two large culverts to allow surface and flood water to pass through. As this site is located within the functional flood plain, the project will excavate the historically deposited quarry overburden – located to the east of the embankment. This will create additional flood water storage and offset the impact of the embankment footprint.

What will happen to the stone bridge at Trago roundabout?

The bridge will not be affected as part of this phase of the scheme.

Why did you clear all the trees from areas that you’re not going to build on and what are you going to do with those areas now?

The area affected is the plantation area between the Drumbridges and Trago junctions. DCC cleared the area in anticipation of full funding being provided for the scheme. The timing of the clearance was to take advantage of the constraints of the dormice and nesting birds and in order that the contractor could make a swift start on site which was anticipated to be in summer 2024. Sadly we have now not received sufficient funding to do that work but with the anticipation that this section of the A382 improvements will be constructed in the future DCC will be looking to construct the drainage and landscaping as far as possible with the future road area being grassed so that construction can take place with minimum impact on ecology when we have funding.

What traffic management will be in place?

There will be two phases of works both of which will take place under road closures. The first closure will cover the Whitehills Junction area, affecting Exeter Road and the A382 and will be in place from September 2025 for about 12 months. The second closure will follow on from that and cover the Forches Cross to Ice House Copse section of the route and last for a further 12 months.

Why aren’t you doing the works under traffic lights instead so the road can remain open?

We’ve considered this very carefully and taken account of the experience of previous work on the A382. With the changes in levels needed for the new scheme and the limited space available it will be impossible to build the scheme and keep the road open to traffic safely.
As a result we’ve been working with traffic management specialists to model different scenarios, including traffic signals, for an area covering Newton Abbot and also the surrounding roads as far as Splatford Split and Ashburton.
The tables below shows the anticipated journey times associated with the different phases and scenarios for traffic management:

Table 1: Closure at Jetty Marsh/Whitehills Cross

Table 2: Closure at Forches Cross

The modelling shows that the wider network copes with the additional traffic and continues to keep moving. In addition, doing the works under signals will extend the duration of the works by 1 year and will not remove the need for closures completely but having shorter duration closures will be more disruptive as the changes will not give people time to adjust.

I know my way around Newton Abbot so why should I follow the diversions?

The diversions are different from usual they take account of live traffic data including reacting to incidents on the wider network to identify the fastest route. The signs will therefore show the current quickest route. With so many narrow lanes we’ll also have measures in place to try and avoid congestion on those lanes and rat-running.

What about the businesses and destinations on the route?

The businesses in the area and Stover School will be open and accessible for the duration of the works. Signing will be included on the diversion routes.

How will you share innovations and lessons learned from the project?

Key updates on progress will be shared via this website and social media. More in depth reports on trials and innovations will be shared as the project progresses in line with ADEPT guidance. Key members of the A382 Team will also present on progress at industry events and conferences.

For more information on the other Live Labs 2 projects, please visit the ADEPT Live Labs 2 website or you can read updates on the ADEPT Live Labs 2 blog.

Where can I access additional information on the project’s progress and ask any other questions?

Updates related to construction and carbon performance will be shared via the “progress” section of this website. For any additional enquiries, please contact us by email at a382@milestoneinfra.co.uk

Live Labs 2

What is ADEPT Live Labs 2 and the A382 project?

ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK is a three year, UK-wide, £30 million programme developed by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) and funded by the Department for Transport (DfT). Live Labs 2 will trial innovative decarbonisation proposals from local highways authority (LHA) led public-private joint ventures, with a particular focus on the decarbonisation of emissions in the construction, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning phases of local roads.

In total, Live Labs 2 comprises of seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes. Our project – the A382 with Jetty Marsh Link project – is just one of those seven ‘live labs’ and is grouped under the theme of ‘corridor and place-based decarbonisation’. It is a multi-partner project, with Devon County Council working closely alongside both Milestone Infrastructure and the University of Exeter to deliver the UK’s first carbon negative stretch of highway.

For more information on ADEPT Live Labs 2 and the rest of the other projects, please visit the ADEPT website.

Why is the programme needed?

Transport is responsible for over a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Innovation in transport decarbonisation has focused primarily on the tailpipe through promoting modal shift, behavioural change and technological advancement.

Much more focus needs to be dedicated to decarbonising road construction and maintenance. Approximately £2 billion is spent every year on maintaining our local highway assets with additional spending on building new local infrastructure – all of which have a significant carbon impact.

Live Labs 2 will address embedded and hidden carbon from specification and procurement, through construction, delivery and operation to decommissioning and reinstatement.

How will the programme drive innovation?

Live Labs 2 has been designed to stimulate innovation among local government, commercial and academic partners, suppliers and specialist SMEs.

Embedding innovation and untried technology into ‘business as usual’ practices can be risky for highway authorities, which is why DfT has agreed to fund the programme within the parameters set by ADEPT.

Live Labs is designed to accept that risk as a core principle and recognises that success isn’t guaranteed.

How will the sector benefit?

Collaboration, sharing information and learning, and a willingness to innovate are embedded into the programme which, as found with Live Labs 1, often leads to behavioural and culture change.

Many of the original Live Labs teams were able to secure additional funding to extend their projects and have created significant changes within their organisations who have created dedicated innovation teams as a result.

Who is ADEPT?

The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT) represents place directors from county, unitary, metropolitan and combined authorities along with directors of local enterprise partnerships, sub-national transport bodies and corporate partners drawn from key service sectors.

ADEPT members are at the very heart of maximising clean sustainable growth, delivering the projects that are fundamental to creating more resilient communities, economies and infrastructure.

Over 14.7 million households in England – and two thirds of the population – rely on services provided by ADEPT members. These services include housing, environmental and regulatory services, planning, economic development, culture and highways and transport.

The Association represents members’ interests by proactively engaging central government on emerging policy and issues, responding to consultations and enquiries, and promoting initiatives and research aimed at influencing government policy.

Contact us

If you have any remaining questions about the A382 scheme then please email a382@milestoneinfra.co.uk.