Councillor demands night working for future roadworks near Minehead
Councillor urges rethink on A39 works after “embarrassing” delays hit Minehead traffic
A Somerset councillor has demanded that any future major roadworks on the A39 near Minehead should be carried out at night following months of serious disruption.
Somerset Council began work in early-January to replace the obsolete traffic signals at the Dunster Steep junction in Dunster, which connects the A39 between Minehead and Williton to the A396 towards Tiverton.
The upgrade was completed on Wednesday (April 1) ahead of schedule, just in time for the significant increase in traffic as people flocked to the west Somerset coast over the Easter long weekend.
But Councillor Marcus Kravis – who branded the lengthy tailbacks “embarrassing” in March – said that the council must use less disruptive methods going forward, stating that “lessons must be learned”.
Mr Kravis – one of two Liberal Democrat councillors for the Dunster division – spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about the roadworks at the completed junction on Saturday morning (April 4).
He said: “It’s a relief that it’s finished, not just for myself as the local councillor, but for every person who lives in west Somerset and travels to and from Minehead.”
Mr Kravis heavily criticised the roadworks when the full council met in Bridgwater in early-March, warning of “substantial and predictable traffic chaos” over the Easter weekend and stating that it was “increasingly difficult” to defend the council’s approach in the face of long delays and overwhelming opposition from his constituents.
Speaking on Saturday (April 4), he added: “Around 80 per cent of the phone calls and emails I’ve dealt with recently has been related to this issue.
“I’m here as a representative for the people who live in my division, and I was fielding questions about it all the time – people were asking: ‘What is going on?’.
“Every time you think you’d solved the problem, all of a sudden there’d be another 40- or 50-minute tailback of delay, with people missing appointments.
“Only last Tuesday March 31, somebody missed a physiotherapy appointment, because they thought it would be a 20-minute delay and for some reason it was a 40-minute delay.”
Mr Kravis runs two businesses in the immediate vicinity of the junction – the Arkade on Minehead seafront (which is in the process of expanding) and the Anchor’s Drop holiday lets in Blue Anchor, alongside his partner and fellow Dunster division member Cara Strom.
He said: “There are plenty of delivery businesses in the area, whether they’re delivering plant and hire equipment or heating oil.
“If they suddenly don’t know how long it’s going to take them to take from Minehead to, say, Washford, the whole system gets disrupted – and it was incredibly disruptive for a significant period of time.
“People literally had to change their lives to work around what was going on here.”
Minehead residents experienced similar disruption on the A39 between September 2022 and June 2023 to allow for a £1m improvement to the cycle link between the Seaward Way roundabout and Marsh Lane.
Plans to extend this cycle link east to Carhampton, using £1.5m of central government funding, were scrapped by the council in December 2025, with the funding being reallocated to other active travel projects elsewhere in the county.
Mr Kravis said he would continue to push for this cycle link, but stressed that the council should consider greater night working in the future to reduce the disruption to local residents.
He said: “The A39 is the one route into Minehead – it is a very busy stretch of road.
“I will defend the cycle-path to my dying breath – I think that’s a great piece of infrastructure, and in the end we got it right with the construction. But lessons have to be learned.
“I think there has to be a look at night-time working when work is done on this stretch of the road.
“I would love to see the rest of the cycle-path finished, going to Carhampton – I think that’s essential. We’ve not stopped fighting for the completion of that cycle-path.”
“It seems silly to have half a cycle-path, but we have to be able to deliver that without causing chaos and disruption to everyone’s lives.
“We have to look at building night-time working into our budgets. There’s going to be a bit of thinking outside the box.”
Mr Kravis said that the length and severity of the disruption, coupled with rising fuel prices and the wider cost of living crisis, had left many local businesses facing an uncertain tourist season.
He said: “I think, not just in west Somerset but all over the country, people are crossing their fingers. Easter may give us a barometer of what the rest of the season holds out.
“The queue on Good Friday of people coming into Butlins was quite incredible – and this now being finished makes it a whole lot easier.
“It’s going to be a very challenging summer for the whole tourist industry, not just here but all over the country.
“West Somerset is beautiful – whether it be Exmoor, Minehead, Watchet or Blue Anchor. There’s lots of variety when it comes to accommodation – you can stay in nice hotels, static caravans or bring your own caravan.
“There’s always slight delays on bank holidays, but that’s more to do with the M5 – and once you get off the motorway, it’s a breeze getting to west Somerset.
“I urge people to come here and see what we have to offer.”
Details of other roadworks taking place across Somerset over the summer can be found by visiting www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-travel-and-parking/roadworks-and-travel.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and waste services, said that the council had been left with no option but to replace the 30-year-old lights, arguing their “sudden failure” would have created even greater disruption for motorists.
Mr Wilkins (who represents the Curry Rivel and Langport division) said: “This has been a challenging project to deliver on a busy road with few alternative routes.
“Therefore I’m pleased we’ve been able to accelerate the programme and complete the works ahead of schedule and in time for the Easter holidays.
“We would like to thank the west Somerset community for their patience and support.
“Doing nothing was not an option, and by working together we’ve been able to upgrade this important junction and ensure it is resilient and efficient for the future.”