18-week repair work to begin on road near Dunsford
Road closure planned for early January
A major stabilisation scheme on the B3212 between Dunsford and Doccombe is set to begin on Monday 5th January.
The section from Steps Bridge to Little Haytor Farm will be closed for 18 weeks for repair work following a landslip in 2022 that made the road unsafe.
Devon County Council has developed a complex repair scheme to stabilise the road, improve its drainage, and reinstall safety barriers. Preparations earlier this year included clearing trees from the affected site, and a 12-tonne piling rig will be brought to the area in January to underpin the road.
Road closure details
A signed diversion route will guide traffic via the B3212, Six Mile Hill, Farrant’s Hill, B3193, B3344, Le Molay-Littly Way, Station Road, Monks Way, A382 Bovey Tracey, Station Road, Cross Street, Exeter Road and vice versa.
Devon County Council has also arranged changes to public transport during the closure. The Country Bus 359 service between Exeter and Moretonhampstead will use an alternative route via the A30, and a shuttle service will run three times a day in each direction between Dunsford and Exeter via Longdown. More details can be found on the Travel Devon website.
Councillor statement
Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, apologised for the disruption and explained the importance of the work.
“I appreciate an 18-week road closure is a long time, and we’re sorry that it will cause disruption, but this is an extremely complex job,” Dan Thomas said.
“There’s a chance the road could be lost completely at some stage if this stabilisation scheme isn’t done.”
He added that the works needed special permission from landowners because of the environmental sensitivity of the area and the size of plant required on-site.
County Councillor Richard Keeling, representing Chudleigh and Teign Valley, said:
“The essential works will make it safer to travel on this important stretch for local residents.”