Delays at one of the area’s busiest junctions could leave a major road scheme stuck in the slow lane, with Rebecca Smith warning that almost £5 million in secured funding could be put at risk.
Rebecca Smith MP has written to Plymouth City Council leader Cllr Tudor Evans over the proposed improvements at Deep Lane junction on the A38, saying the scheme is strategically important and regularly raised with her by constituents and businesses.
In the letter, dated Friday, April 3, Smith said the junction was “frequently subject to significant congestion and delays” and that she was “increasingly hearing from local businesses about the impact this is having on their operations, including difficulties with recruitment, staff retention and securing new business”.
MS Smith said she had been “actively meeting and working with a range of stakeholders” to help move the scheme forward and said there was “a clear and shared recognition of its importance to the area”.
She also said she was “very concerned” to understand that the proposed improvements “may be at risk due to objections from Plymouth City Council”.
Ms Smith wrote: “This not only puts at risk the almost £5 million secured by Devon County Council, but also raises the very real prospect that, should the scheme not proceed, that funding would have to be returned and it could be many years before a similar scheme is able to come forward again.”
She said growth at Sherford and Langage, together with the ambitions of Team Plymouth, the Freeport and the National Centre for Marine Autonomy, meant the infrastructure needed to support expansion had to be in place.
“The Deep Lane junction is a critical part of that infrastructure and will be key to unlocking further economic growth across the area,” Smith wrote.
Ms Smith acknowledged that a highways upgrade of this scale would cause disruption for motorists. However, she said such short-term impact had to be weighed against “the long-term benefits of improved connectivity, reduced congestion and the economic opportunities that this scheme will enable”.
Referring to disruption from other works, she added that Plymouth City Council’s scheme at Colesdown Hill was already resulting in “up to 18 months of disruption”.
She urged Evans, as leader of the council, to “use your influence to help unblock this investment in our road network and ensure that these improvements can be brought forward as soon as possible”.
She also said she would welcome the opportunity to discuss the matter and was willing to work with Evans and other partners to help move it forward.
In a Facebook post published alongside the letter, Ms Smith said the Deep Lane scheme was important for residents north and south of the A38 and said she continued to hear from residents and businesses about the impact of congestion.
She said it was important that the plan to widen the slip road and bridge progressed, pointing to both the risk to secured funding and the wider benefits for the local road network and economy.
