GOOD progress is being made on the A382 improvements and the project is on schedule, Devon County Council has said.

A lot has been happening since the project started in mid-September, this is despite the heavy downpours over the last couple of months.

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.

The landscape has changed dramatically with the level being reduced by five metres in some places.

With the high volume of slow-moving heavy machinery on site, normal traffic flow would have been severely disrupted if temporary traffic lights had been used, rather than a road closure, the council says.

Health and Safety were also key factors in the decision to close the road, in order to protect the public and the site workforce, the council added.

There is currently an average of 130 lorry movements per day on the A382 moving excavated material and importing stone from the local quarry.

To date, 29,605 tonnes of excavated material have been re-used on the project, with more than 9,000 tonnes of crushed stone material brought to the site to be used as a starter layer.

And work is underway on the roundabout drainage too, with the installation of kerbs having been started; the four-metre deep Whitehills cutting is being excavated, removing the old A382 to the west of the old Whitehills cross.

Drainage, kerbing and footway preparation has also been completed outside the MG Garage, ready for resurfacing, the council says.

South West Water will be diverting two large high pressure strategic water mains, and vertical drains will be installed to the embankment foundation of the new link road.

As Jetty Marsh is prone to flooding during the wetter months, the work programme has planned around this.

Activities in this area will be minimised until the drier weather in the spring, although contractor M Group will ensure that the most is made of any dry weather.

In 2026, work will start on the construction of the embankment that will form the base for the new road connection to West Golds Way, raising the road four metres, out of the risk of flooding.

The material to build this new embankment is coming from the area opposite the Hospital, creating an area for any future floodwater to flow, ensuring flooding is not made worse elsewhere.