Dobwalls Bypass officially opens

Dobwalls bypass in SE Cornwall is now open - and that's official! In fact all four lanes were in operation just before last Christmas but, as usually the case, there was a certain amount of work still to be done after the full width of road had been completed and Thursday saw Roads Minister Paul Clark escape the Westminster hothouse and his Kent constituency of 'Gillingham and Rainham' to come west and do the official plaque unveiling. Looking at his CV incidentally I see that he was born in Gillingham and it is good to note an MP representing an area with which he has a real connection rather than being parachuted in to a safe seat somewhere else. I believe that his majority is just a few hundred so he could be looking for a new job come the General Election though.

Last time I drove the Dobwalls bypass it was still under construction so I am looking forward to experiencing the final result. I may have mentioned this before but the Dobwalls project is an example of a road improvement that was very much needed but the sort of thing that many environmentalists oppose. I admire the tenacity of groups such as 'The Friends of the Earth' but where I take issue with such organisations is when they exhibit blanket opposition to road construction. Let's say I could wave the magic wand and stop any increase in traffic, even reduce it a bit, but the vehicle numbers through Dobwalls would still make life intolerable for the locals if there was no bypass. Emissions would be higher with the stop-start motoring too. I like to think that I am as concerned as most about the environment but I find that I can't join bodies such as 'Friends of the Earth' because they are just too dogmatic.

There is a large roundabout at the west end of the new bypass where the traffic streams split between the A38 heading for Bodmin and the A390 going off to Lostwithiel and St Austell. The 38 going through the Glynn Valley is particularly poor and I'm glad to see a roundabout rather than a more expensive flyover because west bound traffic needs slowing down considerably after many miles of dual carriageway. I'll have to find a reason to use the new road before too long!

Website devoted to Dobwalls Bypass

A recent entry on this blog was about the yet to be built St Mellion Bypass on the A388 between Callington and Saltash. That was triggered by the enormous expansion plans of the nearby golf course. Whereas that particular road scheme is for the future one that is being constructed at the moment is the Dobwalls Bypass also in East Cornwall. I have briefly alluded to this improvement before but I'm interested to note that a keen photographer, Ian Foster, has a website here where he has been keeping tabs on construction progress. Each month there is a separate folder linked from his homepage to illustrate what has been going on. You can also click on 'Published scheme' which displays a map of the area - this is fortunate as it helps to sort out the geography, without it some of the road names mentioned by Ian might not mean a lot unless you live there.

Everything appears to be progressing well and the opening date which I think is next September is quite realistic I would say. In fact I would be surprised if one carriageway of the new dual carriageway road wasn't open by the August bank holiday.

Some folk will say that there should be an embargo on any new road building. That I would aver is neither right nor reasonable and I am a passionate environmentalist! Yes a much improved road could well encourage more traffic. And yes there is an environmental cost in making any sort of construction. Let us assume for a moment that we could put a lid on the number of vehicle miles in this country. The present level of traffic through Dobwalls is deleterious in terms of air pollution, noise pollution, potential for vehicle/pedestrian conflict and the general wellbeing of the inhabitants. The environmental benefits resulting from traffic that is flowing far more freely can't be ignored. Accessibility for emergency vehicles to the village will be much improved too.

I'm not saying that literally every road scheme on the drawing board should come to fruition but in Dobwall's case surely most people will applaud what is happening.

First turf cut at Dobwalls

On the 23rd December I made an entry looking at the progress of some of the principal road improvements in Devon and Cornwall. I mentioned that the Dobwalls by-pass scheme in east Cornwall had started; it seems that I was wrongly informed on that one because Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman has just cut the first turf there.

The 1.5 mile long by-pass to the north of Dobwalls is scheduled for completion in September 2008 I believe. This seems to be a generously long construction period and I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't at least partly open for the August traffic that year. Let's hope so anyway!