Watch our videos for the latest updates as we continue improving the A382
The image below highlights the new Whitehills roundabout layout ahead of its opening on Monday 10 August.
July 2026
July brought another spell of soaring temperatures, with teams working in intense heat while wearing full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The combination of blazing sunshine and the additional heat generated by laying tarmac created particularly challenging working conditions.
Nevertheless, teams remained focused and continued to make excellent progress throughout the month.
Final preparations are now underway at Jetty Marsh ahead of the opening of Whitehills Roundabout, with white lining set to be completed before the road opens.
The area may look a little bare during the autumn and winter planting season.
We will then replant the trees that were saved and nurtured in the nursery, alongside other native species, to help encourage biodiversity in the area.
Forches Cross updates
Service diversions are still ongoing at Forches Cross, and we continue to discover previously unidentified underground services. To support this work, we have introduced new equipment that can detect buried objects more effectively.
Traditional locating equipment can only detect services that conduct electricity, meaning some underground utilities, such as PVC or rubber pipes, may go unnoticed.
The new equipment uses high-frequency radio waves to identify differences beneath the ground. When the waves encounter an object that differs from the surrounding soil, they bounce back and alert the operator.
Once a potential object has been detected, we can investigate safely by digging a small trial hole, either by hand or using specialist machinery.
This technology is helping us locate hidden underground services more accurately, making excavation work safer and reducing the risk of unexpected discoveries during construction.
Newton Abbot College: Construction crew workshop
M Group attended Newton Abbot College for the second time to deliver another Construction Crew Workshop for Year 9 and Year 10 students.
This time, students were challenged to develop and present a Dragons’ Den-style pitch. Working in groups and within a set budget, they took on the role of a planning team, calculating costs, weighing priorities and justifying their decisions based on community needs, sustainability and long-term benefits. They then presented their proposals to M Group staff.
M Group was particularly impressed by the confidence students showed when presenting their ideas. Throughout the session, they worked collaboratively, demonstrated strong critical thinking and clearly explained their decision-making.
The workshop was another successful session in a valuable partnership that continues to give students an insight into careers in construction and infrastructure.
Reuse of asphalt
One of the project’s low-carbon initiatives is reusing asphalt from the existing road as part of the base layer for the new road. This not only reduces waste but also cuts the carbon emissions associated with producing new asphalt.
Cold Recycled Bound Material (CRBM) is a sustainable road-building material made from recycled asphalt and aggregates recovered from old roads. Unlike traditional asphalt, it is produced without high temperatures, significantly reducing carbon emissions while still providing a strong and durable foundation for new roads.
How it works:
• Existing road surfaces are removed and crushed into recycled asphalt material.
• The recycled material is mixed with a binder at low temperatures at a local licensed facility.
• The mixture is transported to site, laid and rolled to create the new road foundation.
Completed:
✓ The surfacing of the road and footways at Whitehills roundabout and approaches.
✓ The topsoiling on the roundabout and approaches.
✓ Sign installation on the roundabout and approaches.
✓ Four of the South West Water diversions at Forches Cross.
Coming up:
- Drainage, kerbs and surfacing at Hunters Moon.
- Site clearance and earthworks for Forches Cross roundabout.
- Service diversions for gas, water and BT still ongoing.
June 2026
With it being one of the hottest June’s on record, the teams have been pushing forward.
At Jetty Marsh the team have completed 95 percent of the kerbing on the roundabout.
Post and rail fencing has been installed at Whitehills and along the new stretch of road from the roundabout.
Work on the ground opposite the hospital, which will form the new flood compensation area, is still progressing. The material from this area has been used to build the embankment for the new link road.
This area was historically mined for clay and an old mineshaft which is situated in the compensation area has been dug out several metres and will be capped with a specialist mesh. The 40-metre-deep shaft had been previously infilled with lots of old mine waste which is not compacted. The old shaft entrance made of concrete and timber has been removed to allow it to be capped. Once it has had the cap put on, it will then be covered with the same clay material from that area and compacted down to make the ground stable.
The service diversions for water, gas, electricity and communications at Forches Cross are still progressing well.
Finding unknown underground services on site
One of the challenges most people are unaware of are the hazards due to redundant or unknown services under the ground such as old water pipes. This could be due to incomplete records, undetectable non-metallic materials and overlapping layers of services.
- Incomplete records – many older maps are lost or simply incorrect which means they do not match up with what is onsite.
- Undetectable materials – locating older pipes made from clay, cast iron or modern plastic or fibre optics is difficult. These materials cannot be identified using electromagnetic locators and may require more advanced methods to find.
- Overlapping layers – there are often densely packed networks of water or gas pipes and electric and telecommunication cables which makes it hard to tell which are active and which are redundant services.
The site had been mapped out with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) before the scheme started to identify as many of these services in the areas where we are digging, however, when doing additional surveys before starting to dig we found more we weren’t aware of.
So far on site we have come across 36 unknown services at Forches Cross, these were either not on the map or not in the correct position as shown on the map.
Once an unknown service has been discovered the ground around it is carefully excavated to uncover it so it can be visually identified, most modern pipes are identified by colour.
If it remains unidentified, we work alongside the utility companies to find out what it is, and in some cases they test the pipe to see if it is still active or not.
Once a service is found and confirmed to still be live, it is clearly marked in the work area so site teams can avoid it. It is then added to the area plans for future use.
Completed:
✓ The embankment fill is complete with the placement and compaction of the clay so the settlement period can now begin.
✓ The Headwalls on the culverts have been built.
✓ Drainage, streetlights and cabling on the roundabout.
✓ The temporary roundabout at Clay Lane / Clay Pits Way will be completed early July to ease traffic flow.
Coming up:
- Topsoil the embankment slopes, ready for landscaping.
- Surfacing of carriageway and footways
- National Grid diversions
- Temporary lights are still being used in targeted locations between Hunters Moon and Forches Cross over the next few months. This will allow as much work to be completed as possible prior to Forches Cross being closed
May 2026
At Jetty Marsh the team is half way through installing the headwalls on the culverts, with one inlet and one outlet already completed. The embankment is now over half way built with a section between the two culverts up to height and a section past the first culvert towards the new roundabout too.
The ground level opposite the Hospital which is providing the material for the embankment has been reduced by 4 metres, with one more to go and two ponds still to be constructed. To ensure the structural integrity of the new roads, drainage is being installed, this will not only avoid flooding on the roads surface but will also prevent any erosion under them. So far around 700 metres of drainage has been installed, along with several gullies and manholes which will complete the drainage system when all in place.
The service diversions at Forches Cross are progressing well and will be continued over the next couple of months. These works are necessary so when the new road is built, services such as water, electricity and phones/internet will be out of the way for the new infrastructure.
- South West Water have five other diversions to complete and have started one of them up by Forches Cross.
- BT have completed 50% of their seven diversions.
- National Grid has also completed one of their four diversions.
Works to plan these in are ongoing and you will see an increased use of traffic lights and other traffic management from Hunters Moon to Forches Cross. The road closure at Greycoat Lane started week commencing 25th May for four weeks.
Completed:
- The first area of road and pavement have been tarmacked by Exeter/Pipistrelle Road
- All material which was separating the new roundabout and A382 approach road has been removed and drainage has been installed
- Gabion Baskets have been completed
- South West Water have completed one diversion at Stover School
Coming up:
- Drainage and Kerbing installation on the roundabout at Jetty Marsh.
- Completion of embankment fill.
- Drainage installation for the shared use path at Whitehills.
- Installation of street lights and cabling on the roundabout.
- Top soil strip.
April 2026
At Jetty Marsh a second culvert has been installed, both culverts are being waterproofed before the embankment covers them. Settlement monitoring systems have been installed in different areas of the embankment to check how the ground settles over the next few months. The culvert headwall build is ongoing with the Flex MSE bags.
South West Water have completed their high-pressure water main diversions so the old pipe and material which was dividing the two areas is being removed and work to tie in Whitehills Roundabout with the existing A382 can begin. The material is being stored at Forches Cross to be reused there.
Forches Cross is rapidly changing with pre-closure works ongoing and Heras fencing put up along the A382 works corridor. Improvements to the playing fields car park have been completed with a new layout entrance and fencing. Vegetation clearance is now finished and the upcoming top soil strip is in preparation for carrying out work for the new road design.
A routine check on the tree nursery has been completed. As the trees are young they were easier to move and had better chances of surviving. The trees were relocated a short distance away, so the soil environment which they grew up in is similar to where they are being stored, helping them adjust to their temporary home. The trees will be continuously monitored to ensure they stay healthy and are ready to be replanted at the end of the project.
Coming up:
- Drainage and kerbing installation on the roundabout at Jetty Marsh.
- Embankment fill ongoing.
- Utilities diversion at Forches Cross.
- Top soil strip.
- Temporary traffic lights are still being used in targeted locations between Hunters Moon and Forches Cross over the next few months. This allows as much work as possible to be completed prior to Forches Cross being closed.
There will be an upcoming road closure on Tuesday 26 May for four weeks on Greycoat Lane so South West Water can complete new connections.
The application paperwork for the road closure at Forches Cross will be submitted for processing soon as this can take several months.
March 2026
The drier weather has allowed us to progress, including excavation works at Jetty Marsh opposite the hospital where the new marsh area will be created. The ground is being reduced by five metres overall, and six metres where new ponds will be. The embankment is being built up in preparation for the new link road, which will be constructed after the settlement period.
Culvert One has been installed using a 50-tonne machine to lift the sections into place. Each section weighs 10 tonnes and culvert one is made up of 17 sections. The culverts stand over 2 metres high and 3 metres wide. The embankment fill has so far reached 3 metres and now the culvert is in place it can be raised to the five metres, covering the culvert.
Headwalls for the culverts will be built up using sustainable Flex MSE bags which are a durable, low-carbon alternative to concrete. Each permeable bag is filled with sand and organic materials, allowing water and plant roots to pass through while securely holding the contents in place. They are installed in an interlocking pattern using a fixing plate, much like constructing a wall, but with the added advantage of flexibility where needed. Once installation is complete and landscaping begins, the bags will be hydroseeded so they form a living wall that blends naturally into the surrounding environment along the embankment.
Drainage works at Exeter Road have been completed, allowing the team to install the kerbs and timber edging for the new pavement and road layout. Surfacing will follow once drainage conditions allow.
Vegetation clearance at Forches Cross has progressed, with the shared-use path near Plants Galore awaiting white lining.
The rain garden being installed at Whitehills Road will capture runoff water from the road and from what will be the new cycle path, diverting it into new planted areas. A rain garden is a shallow ditch which captures surface water and absorbs it into the ground to reduce localised flooding. It is used as an alternative to conventional drainage systems due to its sustainability. The use of native plants helps filter out any pollutants from the water and supports local wildlife.
Coming up:
- Embankment fill still to be continued at Jetty Marsh.
- Sign installation for new road layout.
- Culvert Two being installed.
- Temporary traffic lights are still being used in targeted locations between Hunters Moon and Forches Cross over the next few months.
The proposed roundabout at Clay Lane/Clay Pits Road is still under formal review, and any works would only be scheduled if approval is granted. If approved, it would be installed for around two days as a temporary measure during the A382 closure to ease traffic, with a 30mph speed limit applied and then removed once the roundabout is taken out.
February 2026
Progress continues despite heavy rain, with basal reinforcement, culvert preparation, and gabion basket foundations now underway at Jetty Marsh. Additional drainage has been installed on Exeter Road to manage unexpectedly high groundwater flows.
Preparations underway at Forches Cross continue to maintain access until the planned road closure in summer 2026, once the new Whitehills roundabout opens. Vegetation clearance and trial holes are progressing ahead of bird‑nesting season.
Works coming up:
- Shared use path by Plants Galore will be constructed.
- One of the culverts at Jetty Marsh will be installed.
- Pavilion car park by the sports fields at Forches Cross is having improvements to the layout and a new entrance built.
- Rain garden to be constructed over at Whitehills Road.
- Temporary traffic lights are still being used in targeted locations between Hunters Moon and Forches Cross over the next few months. Allowing as much work to be completed as possible prior to Forches Cross being closed.
Below is 3D imagery of the new link road on the embankment from West Golds Way; the height keeps the road above past and anticipated flood levels:
January 2026
Preparations are underway at Forches Cross in conjunction with the ongoing works at Jetty Marsh. Progress has been made on the new roundabout with kerbing starting to be installed. BT have put in place new chambers on Exeter Road and the wall alongside is being rebuilt, the road and footway are being prepared for resurfacing next month.
The drone image below shows the foundation in place to tie the new link road into the A382. The raised area in between is where South West Water will be diverting one of the water mains; they are currently working in another area. Once this is completed, this section of road will join up with the new roundabout. North to Drumbridges the blue line shows the existing water main, the yellow line shows where new diverted main will be positioned.
At Forches Cross trial holes are being dug to confirm connection points for service diversions. Using a vacuum excavator, it uses high-pressure air or water to break up the ground which is then sucked up by a powerful vacuum system. This method is the safest way to expose buried services without damaging them.
Works coming up:
- Vegetation clearance to areas that were not previously accessible.
- Fibre optic diversion at Stover School.
- High Voltage Electric overhead diversion at Stover School.
- Accommodation works to create access for neighbouring landowners to allow main works to start.
- Temporary traffic lights will be used in targeted locations between Hunters Moon and Forches Cross over the next few months. This will allow as much work to be completed as possible prior to Forches Cross being closed.
December 2025
A382 improvement scheme on schedule – good progress is being made on the A382 improvements, and the project is on schedule despite the heavy downpours over the last couple of months. The landscape has changed dramatically with the level being reduced by five metres in some places – that’s around the same height as a double decker bus. Exeter Road and Whitehills Road have been removed, and the new roundabout has been formed, ready for drainage to be installed. The foundation to the embankment of the new link road has been constructed and the excavations for two new culverts to drain away excess water are complete. Drainage, kerbing and footway preparation has also been completed outside the MG Garage, ready for resurfacing. Find out more on our news pages and you can sign up for email bulletin updates here.
October – November 2025
The first time-lapse shows the work that has been going on to construct the roundabout at Whitehills between October and November. The video shows the change in ground levels and stone being brought in to form the base of the road.
The time-lapse below shows the construction of the drainage blanket which will sit beneath the embankment. The blanket is formed from stone placed on the ground and we will insert drainage through it to help the settlement of the embankment.
The image below shows an image from drone footage of the A382 with design overlayed.
The two images below highlight drone photos of the site before work started and when work is in progress, visible early November after works commenced.
September 2025
A382 improvements underway Work has started on improvements to the A382, with the road now closed at the Whitehills junction for around 11 months. The £50 million scheme aims to help ease congestion, improve safety and encourage active travel. It will upgrade and re-align the A382 between Forches Cross and Stover (Ice House Copse) and develop the Jetty Marsh Link road and Whitehills roundabout. Once the roundabout at Whitehills is complete, the work will move to Forches Cross, where there will be a further closure for 12 months. For more information please visit our news pages. Plans for construction work on A382 improvements A public information event will be held next week (Tuesday 9 September) about the upcoming A382 improvements near Newton Abbot. Plans will be on show at Newton Abbot Town Council offices, Newton’s Place, from 2pm-7pm on Tuesday 9 September, where people will have the opportunity to speak to the project team. For more information please visit our news pages.
July 2025
A382 upgrade set to get underway this autumn after DfT funding confirmation The Department for Transport (DfT) has approved the Full Business Case for improvements to the A382 near Newton Abbot. The DfT will fund £38.1m towards the £49.5m scheme, with the remaining being funded by Devon County Council and Teignbridge District Council. Works to deliver the scheme will commence in the Autumn of 2025. Find out more on our news pages.
March 2024
Pioneering road scheme relocates 2,000 trees Around 2,000 trees have been relocated as part of pioneering efforts to make the A382 link road development near Newton Abbot the UK’s first “carbon negative” highway. A temporary nursery has been established to house the trees ahead of the start of construction work. Read more on our news pages. https://youtu.be/fjkWQMcbqYo
November 2023
Full Business Case for A382 upgrade gets approval for submission Councillors have approved the submission of the Full Business Case for improvements to the A382 near Newton Abbot. Devon County Council’s Cabinet has endorsed moving ahead with the next stage of the £56 million scheme and the Full Business Case is now expected to be submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) by the end of the year. Find out more on our news pages.
January 2023
Ambitious project to make A382 link road the UK’s first carbon negative highway Innovative proposals for the A382 link road development near Newton Abbot to become the UK’s first “carbon negative” highway have received Government support. The Live Labs 2 programme, funded by the DfT (Department for Transport) and organised by ADEPT (Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport), has announced that we have been successful in our £3.7 million bid for the project to decarbonise the construction and maintenance of the road. Find out more about the programme on the Devon County Council website.