The Road To Torbay

[Dave]

Yes it really is happening, the new South Devon Link Road is being built and will end one hopes, the nightmare journey from Penn Inn Roundabout to Torbay. With work taking place in a number of locations along its route, you can now get a much better idea just where the road is going to be built.

Earthworks at the back of Kingskerswell are well under way and much earth has been moved beside the ring road and as you come down the ring road and get near the Kerswell Roundabout, looking to your left you can clearly see what will be the end of the new road.

From the Penn Inn Roundabout to Aller, every spare inch of land is being pinched in order to build the four lanes and I have yet to work out how you will get off the new road to get into Newton Abbot, or on it when you leave the town.

I’m sure that will become clear as the work progresses but that may not be for some time as there is so much to do and building this road is not as simple as building a brand new road from scratch.

It’s not due to open until December 2015 so nearly two and a half years still to go, it seems a long way off, but then we have waited for over forty years for this road to be built.

Will the Penn Inn Roundabout be forgotten in time? Will the area be renamed the Penn Inn Flyover?

[Dave]

Twelve months ago to the day, I stood for the very first time on what I have called the railway bridge to nowhere. I am referring to the old railway bridge close to Aller Brake that has stood there ever since the line was laid there. I have never been able to find out very much about the bridge and its use, I can only ever remember there being the main road and have no idea what the area looked like before that road was built.

I have a great love of old discussed railway lines and all the old bridges, tunnels and viaducts that are still standing and enjoy walking along such lines. Thankfully many of these old lines in Devon have been turned into cycle paths ensuring they will be here to be enjoyed for years to come.

There are many old bridges that have been removed, or at least had their top taken off and in some ways I have been saddened to see that bridge to nowhere knocked down over the Christmas period. It had to come down due to the new road into Torbay being built and very close to it a new and long tunnel is under construction. This new tunnel will take the trains under the new road and only highlights the vast project the building of the new road really is.

At least I got to stand on it and as it was fenced off at the time I may well have been the last member of the public to stand on the bridge.

[Dave]

Fantastic video showing how well the work on this new road is coming on.

[Dave]

The final beans of the new Penn Inn Flyover were lifted into place on Friday evening.

[Dave]

The road building is still on time so we only have to wait just one more year for it to open. Below is a shot I took on Wednesday beside the new Penn Inn Flyover and two I found showing the work taking place on top of it.

[Dave]

The story of our brand new road