WORKS to widen a busy road in Taunton as part of a multi-million pound project are set to begin soon.

In preparation for the work, a four-night closure has been scheduled for later this month on the A358 Toneway.

From Saturday, July 27, the road will be closed between the Heron Gate roundabout and Junction 25 while traffic management is installed.

Following the instalment, two narrow lanes will be kept in operation during the day.

The scheme started earlier this year and so far, has made good progress with widening of the J25 roundabout, clearance of the old farm and access at the park and ride site all taking place at night or offline to minimise disruption.

Somerset County Gazette:

A spokesman for the project said: "We will soon be starting work to widen the A358 Toneway.

"This will include removing the central reservation and replacing the old concrete carriageway – important work

to eventually increase the capacity of the road.

"To keep both the public and the workforce safe it will be necessary to temporarily reduce the speed limit to 30mph

and reduce the number of live lanes on the Toneway while works are undertaken.

"Two narrow lanes will be maintained during the day heading inbound towards Taunton from Junction 25 and one lane will be available for traffic heading outbound from Taunton towards Junction 25.

"This is due to deep excavations in the highway and the need for working space during the construction works."

The work is being carried out by Griffiths on behalf of Somerset County Council.

The temporary layout is expected to remain in place for around one year.

"We expect this arrangement with two lanes inbound and one lane outbound to remain in place until summer 2020

before works switch elsewhere."

Councillor John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “This upgrade of Junction 25 is vital for Taunton and Somerset so we’re very pleased to see it progressing well, particularly with so much achieved already with minimal impact on the public.

“We now need to start widening the Toneway – a significant piece of engineering which cannot be done offline. We’re doing our best to keep traffic moving as much as possible but please do bear with us during this phase and plan your journey carefully.”

For more information on the ongoing project visit travelsomerset.co.uk/j25/.