1

Connecting Cornwall: Working towards an improved strategic road network

IntroductionThe A30 is the main highway route linking the key Cornish towns to the regional and national strategic road networks, connecting Cornwall to the rest of the UK. The A30 is of dual carriageway standard with the exception of the 2.8 mile single carriageway section between Temple and Higher Carblake. This section forms a constraint to the capacity of the A30 route, often causing severe congestion and delays, which have a detrimental effect on the Cornish economy, limiting opportunities for potential growth.

Cornwall Council has, subject to a successful planning approval, secured a DfT funding contribution to deliver a scheme on behalf of the Highways Agency, which will address these difficulties. This document provides a description of:

the need for the improvement the benefits it will bring the historic options assessed the current proposals

A30 Temple to Higher CarblakeScheme descriptionSecond phase of consultation May 2013

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The need for the improvement - existing traffic situationTraffic Flow AnalysisAn assessment of the existing traffic flows confirms that there is a significant issue in this location with severe traffic problems over long periods throughout the year. 2-way traffic flows can exceed 36,000 vehicles a day, which is above the capacity of such a road (13,000).

Congestion and DelayHigh traffic flow results in long delays; this leads to the route providing poor journey time reliability, connectivity and resilience. Journey delays of over an hour are currently experienced between Launceston and Bodmin in both directions. Queue lengths are considerable, sometimes extending up to 9 miles. The continuing extension of the tourist season means that congestion is a growing problem as it is occurring at different times of the day more and more throughout the year.

AccidentsA total of 50 personal injury accidents have occurred in the last 10 years (2002 – 2011) including 2 fatal and 11 serious injury accidents. The proportion of fatal and serious accidents for this section of single carriageway road is significantly higher at 26%, compared with a national average of 22%. Accidents have resulted in road closures with traffic having to be diverted onto unsuitable alternative routes.

13,6

07

15,9

16

16,4

37

21,2

30

20,3

96

22,5

74

24,0

98

26,6

54

22,7

39

15,8

62

20,2

46

13,3

62

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

highly seasonal flow

A30 Temple: 2011 Annual flow profile Average 2-way daily flow (vehicles)

A30 Temple: 2011 hourly flow profile

August Saturday Traffic flow (vehicles)

Dual carriageway Single carriageway Dual carriageway

22 miles to Carland Cross (junction for Truro)Theoretical capacity up to 39,000 vehicles a day

2.8 milesTheoretical capacity up to 13,000 vehicles a day

60 miles to Exeter (M5)Theoretical capacity up to 39,000 vehicles a day

6

3 35 5

7

2

5

10

1

31 1

2

31

1

0

5

10

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011Years

Fatal

Serious

Slight

A30 Temple: Accident data on the single

carriageway section over a 10 year period

ResilienceIn the case of a closure or congestion on the single carriageway section, there is no appropriate local diversion for eastbound or westbound traffic. The side roads close to the single carriageway section between Temple and Higher Carblake are narrow and unsuitable for high volumes of traffic and HGVs with potential safety issues along these routes. The A38 has been used in emergencies as a diversion route but this increases congestion on this predominantly single carriageway route and is not a practical long term solution.

00:00

00:10

00:20

00:30

00:40

00:50

01:00

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Eastbound

Westbound

A30 Temple: 2011 journey time delay Delay (hours:minutes)

500

1,000

1,500

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0

01:0

0

02:0

0

03:0

0

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0

Time (Hour Beginning)

Eastbound

Westbound

Congestion threshold

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Importance of A30 to businessesConsultation with business leaders and major employers in the region confirms that the scheme is strongly supported by businesses across sectors. In recent surveys 71% of businesses stated that the A30 was very important to their businesses; 79% said that the scheme would have a positive impact on their businesses, and 46% stated that the scheme would result in increased investment and employment within their company.

0

75

Very

%

Quite Somewhat Neither Not

71.4

12.58.9 3.6 3.6

Cornwall’s economic challenges1

Economy growing from a low base

Second weakest economy in the UK. GVA per head £13,129 against national level of £20,142 (2009) GDP (73.6%) less than 75% of EU average, eligible for ERDF Convergence and other EU structural funds

Low full time annual earnings

£20,982 (2009) against a national average of £25,727 Population change sustains pressure on housing

Population growth was 4.1% between 2004 and 2010 Housing affordability: cost of cheapest 25% of property 9.3 times average earnings, compared to national

level of 6.7 times (2010) Very high self employment

14.4% in 2010/11, fifth highest level of self employment in the country

Cornwall’s economic ambition2

To create a confident, resilient Cornwall that is a leader in innovative business and low carbon technologies To maximise opportunities to improve the knowledge based economy

Develop the tertiary education establishments to train and retain world class skills Deliver incubation units for new and small companies in innovation centres Reduce perceived peripherality by improving connectivity through key transport and communications

infrastructure Improve access to global markets via high speed broadband Develop industry around the Aerohub Enterprise Zone at Newquay Airport Develop industry from Cornwall’s leading role in renewable energies

By 2020, gross median annual earnings for all employees will rise from 80.7% to 90% of the UK figure

(from £17,201 to £19,193 in 2011 prices).

To increase GDP per head to above 75% of EU average

Survey of key local Cornish businesses:

importance of A30

Quotes from Cornish businessesJohn Gregory, Gregory Distribution Ltd - a national distribution company with a fleet of 500 vehicles, 40 of which are based in Cornwall, employing 150 people: “Our Cornwall based vehicles carry milk on behalf of Milk Link and Dairy Crest. We also have a South West Water tanker fleet based in Cornwall. Sections of single carriageway such as exist on the A30 at Temple to Higher Carblake act as a pinch point in the national road network....” “A dual carriageway

needs to be... continuous.... to be an effective transport

link. Hence, my support for this project.”

Kim Conchie, Chief Executive, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce: “Over 75% of the jobs in established businesses in Cornwall are west of the Temple to Carblake section of the A30. Most existing businesses rely on transporting goods and people to their premises. Any avoidable delays on the

A30 are both a frustration and a serious cost to a section

of the UK economy which already suffers from distance

to markets and low average income. All organisations which use the A30 to move supplies, products, staff and customers in and out of the county would benefit from dualling this section. The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce fully supports the Council’s plans.”

John Hicks, RAM Gasket Solutions Ltd: “The decisions made by haulage firms in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester to only haul to Exeter and Plymouth means our goods are being transhipped all the time which adds days to the delivery. The normal comment is that they lose the lorry in Cornwall because the roads are so bad... To do business we need easy access to Heathrow airport and Dover docks for our exports. Over 90% of our output leaves the county and 100% of our raw material is brought in. We need our goods delivered

next day to anywhere in the UK. If that can’t be done

then the only choice is to move out of the county.”

Alan Stanton MSOE MIRTE, Conformity Manager, Conway Bailey Transport Ltd – a Scorrier based company with 85 vehicles, employing 227 people: “If this section of the A30 were upgraded to dual carriageway, it would improve our competitiveness. Any cost goes on to our overheads and adds to the cost and delivery times of the items being transported”… “This is of particular concern to us and our local customers, as much of the produce is time critical”… “So any cost savings or time savings we can make

will make a big difference to our customers and our

companies competiveness.”

The need for the improvement - existing economic situation

“In order to develop the LEP’s Economic Development Strategy we have

consulted with a large number of businesses and other interested parties and it

is very clear that there is one over-riding pinch point in Cornwall. It is probably

no surprise that this is the bottle neck caused by the single carriageway section

of the A30 at Temple.”

Chris Pomfret, Chair Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, May 2012

1 Cornwall’s Economy at a Glance, March 20122 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership

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Scheme benefi tsConnectivity and reliabilityThe proposed scheme will signifi cantly improve connectivity in the region by reducing the time and cost of trips along this section of road for all users. The higher standard route will reduce congestion and delays, and improve the connectivity of Cornwall by providing a reliable and resilient route.

SafetyConstruction of a dual carriageway, with improved alignment, grade separated junctions and a central barrier, would signifi cantly reduce the frequency and severity of accidents, and would save 10 fatal and 50 serious casualties over the life of the scheme.

Economic benefi tsThe reality of poor journey time reliability exacerbates negative perceptions of Cornwall as remote and peripheral, impacting on business growth and inward investment. For this reason, the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership identifi ed improvements to the A30 as a key priority. A wider economic assessment of the scheme demonstrated that the scheme will provide benefi ts in excess of £117m for the Cornish economy. However, this is only part of the picture. Cornwall is delivering an ambitious programme of investment funded through the Regional Growth Fund and the European Convergence Programme. Realising the full benefi t of existing and future investment the programme aligns with the Government’s agenda and seizes upon its initiatives to stimulate the economy, creating employment in the short term whilst simultaneously laying the foundations for sustained and long term private sector growth. The key economic initiatives are highlighted on the map.

Cornwall’s economic investment programme will place more pressure on the A30 and exacerbate the problems identifi ed elsewhere in this document.1 Figures from ERDF business case prepared by CDC, 20112 Figure from E-W link road ERDF business case, 20113 Figure from ERDF business case, 20124 Port of Falmouth Masterplan, Tibbalds June 20115 Amion Consulting – A391 Diversion Economic Impact Assessment – includes fl oorspace related, construction and jobs related to household income up to 2026. Table 7.11. 6 Extracted from the North Quay ERDF business case

Truro

Newquay

Launceston

Bude

To Exeter (M5)

PlymouthBodmin

CamborneRedruth

Falmouth

Helston

Penzance

St IvesHayle

St Austell

SaltashLiskeard

A30

A38A30

A30 Temple to Higher Carblake

Population 69%

Employment 82%

Population 31%

Employment 18%

Dual carriagewaySingle carriageway

Aerohub at Newquay Cornwall Airport

“Enterprise Zone”

Aerohub off ers a unique location for aerospace and wider business through a combination of over 120ha (298 acres) of development land combined with state of the art airport infrastructure, airspace capacity and access to diverse aviation environments. Enterprise Zone status, RGF and ERDF funding off ers tremendous potential for the growth of an aerospace cluster.

Enterprise Zone additional jobs – 750 jobs by 2015, 2,720 in direct aerospace by 20301

Hayle Harbour / Wave Hub The £42m wave hub is anchored 7 miles off the coast of Cornwall with the cable making landfall at North Quay, Hayle. A series of high profi le, complementary economic and regeneration initiatives are now underway which will transform the town, the local and regional economy providing infrastructure and workspace to support the development of a new marine renewable business cluster.

Hayle Harbour North Quay additional jobs - 3076

Eco-communities “Supporting the low carbon

economy”

The Clay Country Eco-Community will deliver low carbon communities, transforming the post industrial landscape. In addition to providing housing the eco-communities initiative will provide a vital stimulus for the local economy, creating new high quality employment sites and a focus for low carbon industries and supply chain opportunities.

Eco-Communities additional jobs - 7825

Falmouth Docks

“Supporting world class manufacturing”

Cornwall Council working with the private sector has supported the development of the Falmouth Docks master plan. A fi rst phase of investment will see RGF, ERDF and private investment combined to fund a major expansion of Pendennis Super Yachts, a truly world class business with a highly skilled workforce.

Pendennis Super Yachts additional jobs – 1243

Port of Falmouth Masterplan additional jobs – 3,2734

Dudnance Lane regeneration

initiative The re-commencement of mining at South Crofty will create in excess of 500 direct jobs within the heart of Cornwall’s largest urban area and one of its poorest communities. A linked regeneration initiative will redevelop the current mine site, opening up 23ha of land for mixed use re-development delivering further economic and employment benefi ts.

Dudnance Lane and South Wheal Crofty Framework additional jobs - 1,071

Wider CPR Regeneration additional jobs - 1,203

Newquay growth area

“Delivering Infrastructure to unlock growth” The Newquay Strategic Route is a new local distributor road which unlocks the Newquay Growth Area, a high quality mixed used community providing 4,800 homes, a new neighbourhood retail centre, a full range of community facilities and 10 ha of employment land.

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Historic options assessed

A scheme to upgrade the A30 at Temple was first entered on a government roads programme as early as 1989. In 2002 the Highways Agency commissioned a consultant to develop proposals for an improvement to this stretch of road. Seven different route options were developed through a series of workshops and early targeted engagement sessions with key stakeholders (including statutory bodies, interest groups and landowners or those with an interest in land). The seven route options

consisted of three off line routes north of the existing A30 (1, 2 and 3), three south of the A30 (4a, 5 and 6) and a mainly on line route (7). Through the assessment process the off line solutions were eliminated due to their potentially significant environmental impacts.

The proposed route, shown in red on the image below, was the one that eventually emerged as the most favourable and it was this that was taken to public consultation in 2004.

The public consultation consisted of a 12 week period, including a two day exhibition held locally in Bodmin. The proposals were very well received, with 95% of respondents supporting the principal of improving this section of road and 87% supporting the details of the

proposed option. It was this route that was granted preferred route status by the Secretary of State in 2005.

Despite the design becoming a preferred route, changing priorities and pressures on funding resulted in the scheme phasing in and out of active programmes and in 2010, the government’s comprehensive spending review did not identify the scheme for future delivery. This prompted Cornwall Council to seek permission from the Department for Transport to review the proposals with a view to making the scheme more affordable for the current economic climate. The subsequent 2010 design review is detailed overleaf.

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2010 design reviewA review of the earlier 2005 proposals was followed by workshops to identify a wide range of traditional and innovative solutions. The assessment of the identified options involved: Reviewing historic documents - supplied by the HA and Hyder

Consulting Ltd (HCL) Obtaining traffic counts and a topographic survey -

as base information for modelling and accurate option costing

Developing concept designs for new options Undertaking assessments - environmental, collision assessment,

traffic / junction modelling, journey times, land issues, technology report

Developing cost estimates and risk registers - for each option as well as updating the preferred route estimate so all costs were produced at a 2010 cost base, to which inflation and optimum bias were applied ensuring full compatibility

The data was used to build a qualitative matrix, enabling options to be compared. The following key factors based on webTAG criteria, along with cost and technical considerations were considered:

Technical (capacity, standards, land, durability etc) Environmental (noise, air, landscape, historic,

water quality, etc) Cost (works cost, cost in use, risk) Safety (collisions, security) Economy (value, efficiency, journey time reliability,

wider economic benefits) Accessibility (to the transport system) Integration (interchanges, land use and other policies)

A scoring matrix was developed and the criteria given individual weightings to ensure key issues specific to this scheme were given higher importance in the assessment. This concluded the Value Engineered Route was the best option.

Informal consultations have been held with environmental consultees, parish councils, frontagers and other local interest groups. Public and professional reactions to the favoured Value Engineered Dual Carriageway were very positive.

Cornwall Council Cabinet approved continued development of the value engineered dual carriageway option in March 2011. To date £1.265m has been spent developing the Value Engineered Route scheme.

Option description Key benefits Key disadvantages Cost Base

score

Weighted

score

Rank

Do minimum

Take no action Allow existing conditions to prevail.

Environmentally neutral No improvements to capacity Safety issues likely to worsen

with time Brings no economic benefits Does not improve accessibility

£0 81 243 6

Flow / dynamic merge management

Use active signage (VMS), variable speed limits, revised road marking layouts and potential alignment changes to control speed and merger of the traffic flows

Potentially some (very limited) capacity improvement but likely to be short term

Limited safety improvement Slightly improves accessibility

Environmental issues Does not fully resolve problem High risk – untried technology

in this context Very limited economic benefits

£36.5m 96 288 3

3 lane

Provide a third lane for the entire length of the A30 at Temple

Three options assessed (1/2 and 1/2, eastbound and westbound)

Additional carriageway works accompanied by suitable signage etc.

Limited additional capacity Environmentally neutral Limited economic benefits

Potential safety issues Does not fully resolve problem Does not improve accessibility

£48.9m 92 277 4

Alterative routes A39 (NB A38 route rejected due to capacity issues) Divert traffic to the A39 to relieve congestion

and/or reduce queue times on the A30 at Temple.

A39 route requires implementation of the Camelford bypass and potential junction improvements along the route.

In addition suitable signage (including VMS) will be required to achieve the regulated diversion of traffic from the A30.

Some additional capacity - controls queue length / delay times rather than resolves them

Limited economic benefits Slightly improves accessibility

Potential safety issues Does not fully resolve problem Increases environmental

impacts

£60.2m 90 266 5

2005 preferred route Validate the existing HA preferred route

design Bring costing to up date

4 miles full dual and grade separated junctions

Capacity improvement, resolves congestion, queuing and journey time reliability issues

Safety improvements Offline section easy to construct Provides good value for money and wider

economic benefits Improves accessibility / connectivity

between local communities

New ecological information indicates some environmental issues from proposed alignment

£79.7m 105 327 2

2010 value engineered dual

Dualling of the single carriageway section of the A30 at Temple

Value engineered approach (reduce junctions, side roads etc)

Maintain standards

2.8 miles full dual and grade separated junctions

Value engineered to reduce costs Capacity improvement, resolves congestion,

queuing and journey time reliability issues Safety improvements Limits environmental impacts Provides excellent value for money and

wider economic benefits Improves accessibility / connectivity

between local communities

Online construction may be slightly more complex to deliver

£59.0m 115 356 1

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Route comparisonThrough the design review process a number of key changes to the 2005 Preferred Route design were identified which could be made, to enable significant savings in environmental impacts, land take requirements and cost to be achieved. These changes were incorporated into the Value Engineered Dual Carriageway now proposed by Cornwall Council.

0.9 miles of improvements to eastbound carriageway, eliminating undesirable horizontal and vertical alignment

Proposed grade separated junction

Proposed grade separated junction

Offline alignment to avoid impact on SWW reservoir

Proposed grade separated junction

Proposed grade separated junction and extensive interconnecting side roads

2005 Preferred route Design features

4 miles of new dual

carriageway

4 new grade

separated junctions

Offline section of 1.6kmDesigned to DMRB - 6 departures from standards (for visibility in vicinity of junctions)Full public consultation carried out

Junction configuration altered to compact overbridge avoiding sensitive ecological impacts

Reduce number

of junctions – by relocation of junction and additional accommodation works

Reduce scale

of side road

improvements 2010 Value engineered dual carriageway Design features

2.8 miles of new dual

carriageway

3 new grade

separated junctions

Fully on-line alignment Designed to DMRB

- 4 departures (for combinations of relaxations)

Avoids environmental sensitive areas

Initial consultation undertaken locally and with statutory consultees

Online solution with reductions in cross section along the entire route, reducing earthwork costs

CostsPreparation and fees

£5.66m

Works £47.80mOptimism Bias £15.94mInflation £9.80mMaintenance £0.52mTotal £79.7m

Reduced cross section designed in liaison with SWW, enabling online solution through reservoir cutting

Reduce

length of improvement by 0.9 miles

Proposed grade separated junction

Proposed grade separated junction

Proposed grade separated junction

Cross section minimised avoiding rock cuttings and impacts on environmentally sensitive areas

CostsPreparation and fees

£3.90m

Works £35.40mOptimism Bias £11.81mInflation £7.53mMaintenance £0.36mTotal £59.0m

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Project proposals

Scheme proposalsCornwall Council propose to improve the existing single carriageway section of the A30 trunk road between Temple and Higher Carblake bringing it up to dual carriageway standard.

The council has worked closely with the Highways Agency, many of the Statutory Bodies and local residents during the development of these proposals. Feedback received during the early informal engagement sessions and the first phase of pre-application consultation has informed the design process to reach an optimised solution. This has resulted in a design which minimises the overall footprint of the improvement, where possible remaining within the existing highway corridor. The approach has allowed the design to provide the necessary capacity and safety improvements, whilst still:

Reducing landtake requirements Minimising potential environmental impacts Maximizing economic benefits for Cornwall Lowering scheme costs

Main route alignmentThe scheme begins west of Higher Carblake and closely follows the existing road alignment to Temple Tor, which will dual 4.5km (2.8 miles) of single carriageway road, linking to the existing dual carriageway sections of the A30 at either end. The

Latest proposals - May 2013

main route alignment will widen the existing highway corridor by almost 13m, making it approximately 26m wide in total. The new section of road will have a standard cross section with carriageways of 7.3m (each with two lanes of 3.65m), 1m hard strips either side, verges of 2.5m and a hard central reserve which is 2.5m wide. This will result in some land take. Safety barrier will be introduced to the central reserves, physically segregating the opposing vehicle flows. The proposed vertical alignment closely matches the existing levels and topography of the existing A30 in this vicinity. Further detail can be found by referring to the Scheme drawings TRXCP311-EC-001 to 022 which form part of the consultation document pack.

Junction and side road arrangementsTo improve safety and accommodate the revised route alignment the scheme seeks to rationalise the existing junction arrangements and private accesses, whilst still providing for all required vehicle movements. It proposes three new compact grade separated junctions, located at Cardinham Downs, Preeze Cross and Temple Tor. These replace the existing at grade crossings with three new overpass bridge structures and associated side roads.

At Cardinham Downs the new side roads will be on embankment on the north side of the junction and in cutting on the south. This coupled with carefully designed landscaping will minimise visual intrusion.

Preeze Cross junction takes advantage of the existing topography of the surrounding landscape and the fact that the existing A30 is in cutting at this location enabling the introduction of the bridge without the need for large embankments.

Temple Tor junction is developed by creating embankments shaped to fit in with the surrounding landscape.

The three bridges have been designed to have 6.8m wide carriageways with 1.5m wide hard verges on both sides. This is in keeping with the surrounding side road network into which they connect. The bridge abutments will be faced with local stone to blend the new structures into the surrounding landscape. Full details of the structures proposed can be found in the Structures Notes and General Arrangement Drawings TRXCP311/ST/01.

Connecting the new junction arrangements to the existing side road network and the improved A30 trunk road are a limited number of new side roads. These vary in width between 3.5m and 6.8m wide and in some cases include passing bays to let traffic pass each other. In some instances the new side roads also connect individual properties or small groups of houses located along the route safely to the junction facilities.

Private accesses The scheme will also improve, or redirect, existing private accesses which connect directly onto the A30. At Higher Carblake and Higher Colvannick this is achieved

by the introduction or improvement of new compact junctions.

Through negotiation, private accesses to specific properties in the vicinity of Preeze Cross and at Greenbarrow have been redirected onto the side road network to enhance safety for users of these facilities.

Access to both service stations on the existing eastbound carriageway of the A30 will be improved through minor adjustments of alignment and level to ensure safe access and egress is provided.

As a result of the new junctions, side road arrangements and alterations to private accesses it is acknowledged that there will be some increase to the length of trips for some individuals. However, this is offset by the enhanced safety of these accesses onto the network provided by the new arrangements.

Public Rights Of WayWhere existing Public Rights of Way abut or cross the existing A30 trunk road within the length of the scheme (see scheme drawings TRXCP311_EC_001 to 010 for details), it is proposed that these will be adjusted to suit the new arrangements. The three routes which do not currently cross the A30 will be adjusted in accordance with the widening of the main route alignment. In addition, the Old Works and the Colvannick Tor route be diverted towards the side road network. The two routes that meet and cross the A30 in the vicinity of Pounds Conce will be redirected to connect into the new side roads and Preeze Cross overbridge.

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Project costs and fundingThe major scheme cost estimated for the original 2005 Preferred Route proposals and developed for the Highways Agency, was between £80m and £120m. In 2010/2011 a full review of project objectives and options was undertaken by Cornwall Council with a view to reducing costs and speeding up delivery. Through the design review and local delivery of the project, costs have been reduced to just under £60m. This includes an allowance for calculated risk and optimism bias which, as the design progresses, will diminish in favour of more defined works costs.

The pie chart illustrates the cost estimate breakdown, based on a 2015 construction start. Recent work has been undertaken to validate the design reviews findings, progress the design and substantiate the cost estimations.

Total cost £59m

Works cost,£35.40m

(Based on 2010 prices)

Inflation,£7.53m

(calculated on both works and OB/ risk)Optimisum

Bias / Risk,£11.81m

(OB designed down to 25% + costed risk register)

Preparation,£3.90m

(From 2011 to construction start)

Highways Agency fees£0.36m

Cornwall Council are currently funding the design preparation costs. The December announcement made by Chancellor George Osborne as part of the Autumn Budget statement, giving Cornwall Council the go ahead to deliver the scheme on behalf of the Highways Agency, means that if planning permission is secured, government funding of £30m is available for the first time to deliver the scheme. Cornwall Council will secure funding to provide the remaining balance of the scheme costs.

Key outcomesThe scheme would...

1 Play a vital role in the future prosperity of Cornwall, encouraging economic growth, aiding regeneration and business expansion, and supporting tourism;

2 Provide transport benefits in excess of £154m due to reduction in congestion and delays;

3 Represent very good value for money by providing travel time, operating cost, safety and maintenance benefits greater than its cost by a ratio of over 4 to 1;

4 Enhance economic growth and provide wider economic benefits in excess of £117m to the Cornish economy by generating more employment, reducing business costs and improving productivity;

5 Save an anticipated 10 fatal and 50 serious casualties over the design life of the scheme;

6 Eliminate congestion and journey delays of up to 1 hour that currently occur every weekend from May to October and at other times, resulting in queues of up to 9 miles;

7 Be delivered locally by Cornwall Council at a fixed cost to DfT and with a construction start date of January 2015.

The additional diversionary length involved in this adjustment is approximately 480m. However, this is offset by the enhanced safety and ease of north south movement created by the new arrangements.

SignageRetroreflective traffic signage will be installed throughout the improvement in accordance with HA standards and national regulations to provide sufficient directional information to the travelling public.

LightingDue to the location and nature of the improvement and the surrounding network into which it connects, it is not necessary to introduce any highway lighting as part of these proposals. This also avoids any potential impact from light pollution being introduced to this environmentally sensitive area.

Drainage The existing drainage arrangements along this stretch of the A30 trunk road are currently quite limited as there is no existing attenuation of flows and no pollution control. Our strategy is to introduce a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) which will cater for the increased hard surface being introduced, manage rainwater runoff and provide opportunities for enhanced water quality and biodiversity over and above the existing situation. To achieve this, the scheme proposes to collect rainwater runoff through traditional methods such as gullies, filter drains, ditches and carrier drains. These will lead into attenuation basins before connecting into existing outfalls at three positions in the vicinity of Higher Carblake, Pounds Conce and Temple Tor. The attenuation basins will provide storage capacity enabling outfall rates to be controlled to a greenfield runoff rate agreed by the Environment Agency. The basins will be landscaped and planted to create new wetland habitats and provide opportunities for water quality treatment.

LandscapeA Landscape Mitigation and Enhancement Report (document reference TRXCP311/2013/LMER) has been developed in liaison with Statutory Bodies including the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Officer. This seeks to assist the proposals to merge into the existing landscape of the area, mitigating potential impacts and, where possible enhancing the existing roadside landscape. Throughout the scheme the overriding principle is to retain existing vegetation or where this cannot be achieved to retain topsoil to create a seed bank from which natural regeneration can be encouraged. Due to the sensitive nature of the environment, the focus will be on the natural regeneration of existing species rather than introducing new ones. To provide larger specimens, seed will be harvested for pre planting off site to grow on particular species from the locality. In the eastern half of the scheme trees are not a regular feature of the landscape and so tree planting will be isolated to the replanting of trees lost. The western half of the scheme will have an increase in the number of trees planted to reflect the changing landscape.

Boundary treatmentsWhere the proposed works interact, remove or break existing hedges or fence lines, replacements will either match or improve and, where possible, tie-in to the existing. This will mean a mixture of Cornish hedges, post and rail or post and wire fences and low earth mounds are employed dependant on location.

Construction and operationIt is anticipated that the construction of the scheme will start in January 2015 and the construction review has indicated it will take approximately 24 months to complete. It has a design life of 60 years and on completion, the operation and maintenance of the improvement will be handed back to the Highways Agency for onward management.

Project proposals (continued)

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Phase one consultation feedback

The first phase of pre-application consultation on the scheme proposals took place between 4 January and 1 March 2013. This included a two-day exhibition, which took place on the 10 and 11 January 2013 in Blisland Village Hall, near Bodmin.

Results of phase one consultationThe exhibition attracted 428 people throughout the two days.

A total of 326 of you provided responses by email, letter, questionnaire or using our online consultation form.

297 (91%) of the responses supported the need for the A30 dualling scheme.

282 (86%) supported the scheme as it was presented at the exhibition. The pie chart below gives a bit more information on the breakdown of responses to the proposals.

777

814

1617

25

The height of bridge parapetsImpacts of noise pollutionImpacts to natural habitatDesign of side access roadsDesign of junction slip lanesEncouraging investmentImproved road safetyReduced congestion

Positive feedback

Negative feedback

Scheme as presented at the exhibition

Support 86%

Did not state 9%

Object 4%Neutral 1%

Consultation themesThe responses received during the consultation period included a broad array of comments about the proposed design. Many of you touched on similar topics and we have been able to identify some common themes and some key issues1.

1 Based on issues which received seven or more comments

As a result of your comments, and further technical advice we have received from the Highways Agency, we have made some changes to the proposals. This will mean that there will be a second phase of consultation to give everyone the opportunity to comment on the revised scheme and help shape its final form before we submit it to the Planning Inspectorate later this year.Full information on the consultation and results will be available at the planning stage in the consultation report which will be published on Cornwall Council’s website.

Consultation resultsWe have now had time to consider all the responses received and your feedback has been used to inform the design and shape the proposals. Below are some of the responses to the common themes and key issues we identified from your feedback:

Design of junction slip lanes – Concerns were raised over the length of the proposed slip lanes.The design of the length of slip lanes for trunk road junctions is set out in Highways Agency design standards and is dependent upon the speed of the road, the capacity of the junction and the gradient of the main carriageway. Our original proposals were shown using these criteria, although they did result in relatively short slip lanes. Whilst these were designed to standard, a safety review along with the feedback received highlighted the need to review the proposals. As a result, we have changed the design of both the off and on slip roads.For the off slips, we have increased the width of the off slip lane to allow vehicles to leave the main flow of traffic a little earlier. The original length of the on slip

We received an excellent response from members of the public with many people taking the time to consider the information we presented and offering their comments and suggestions.

may have offered little advantage to users so it was felt beneficial to remove the slip lane in favour of a standard give way line. This will encourage traffic wishing to join the main carriageway to positively choose to join the carriageway, improving safety. All new junction designs are consistent with existing junctions along the A30.

Design of the side access road – The extra travel distance required to access the A30 from side roads is too long. Concerns were also raised about the loss of existing accesses to land next to the A30.We accept that for some individuals, travel time to access the A30 from the side roads will increase. This is unavoidable when developing a dual carriageway proposal such as this. However, the design team have made every effort to minimise these impacts by locating the junctions at key strategic points along the new route. The effect is also offset by the enhanced safety and ease of access provided by the proposals.The design team have been liaising directly with affected landowners to develop mutually acceptable private accesses to farm and other land from the A30. The latest set of proposals is included in the revised designs.

Impacts on the natural habitat

a. Will stock proof fencing be provided to prevent

wildlife crossing the carriageway?

Either stock proof fencing or cattle grids will be used to prevent wildlife access. The cattle grids have been sized to prevent deer jumping the grid.

b. Concerns about the amount of land take required

Where possible the design has been kept within the existing highway boundary. In some areas land take is unavoidable, however, we have always tried to minimise this impact and as a result of consultation feedback, we have reviewed the width of some of the side roads. We have been able to reduce some carriageway widths to be more in keeping with the existing roads, further reducing land take.

c. Concerns over the removal of existing trees

and vegetation and the amount of planting

proposed.

A landscape strategy has been developed in liaison with statutory environmental consultees including Natural England and the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Unit. Wherever possible, the strategy is to provide replacement of lost vegetation or enhancement of existing habitats

in keeping with the surrounding environment. From comments received, we recognise that we need to raise the profile of our landscaping proposals in the next consultation phase.

Impacts of noise pollution – Some people felt that the increased traffic speeds and removal of existing established vegetation would increase noise pollution to surrounding properties.Comprehensive monitoring surveys have been carried out by qualified air, noise and vibration specialists. The data collected will be used to assess any potential impacts from the scheme proposals. Although traffic speed will increase as a result of the dualling of the A30, the new road is designed to release the existing bottleneck on traffic rather than to cater for large-scale growth, so impacts are expected to be limited at this stage. Whilst some vegetation will be removed, the landscape strategy is to, where possible, replace planting. If there are any significant impacts identified, then these will be addressed by either bunding, planting, Cornish hedging or fencing.

The height of bridge parapets – for horse rider useThe Highways Agency’s policy on bridge parapet heights was developed in liaison with the British Horse Society. High parapets will only be provided on designated bridleways or where large numbers of horse riders will use the route (for example where there is a large riding establishment within the immediate vicinity of the bridge). The standard parapet height has been used as these criteria have not been met at any of the three proposed bridges in the scheme.

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Scheme changesTaking into account comments received during the first phase of consultation and as a result of recommendations in the Road Safety Audit (which was not available to us before the last consultation) the following amendments/changes have been made to the scheme.

Public Rights of Way (PROW)The Colvannick Tor (FP/508/14 [Cardinham Civil Parish]) footpath will have its access with the A30 stopped up and the route will be diverted to connect into the side road network in the vicinity of the Preeze Cross junction.

The Old Works (FP/508/15 [Cardinham Parish]) footpath will have its access onto the A30 stopped up and the route will be diverted to emerge at the Temple layby.

Passing placesPassing bays have been added to the new side road arrangements between Preeze Cross and Trethorne and to the existing carriageway between the new Temple Tor junction and the road leading to Temple.

Width of side roadsThe width of the proposed following new side roads, have been narrowed where this has been possible to reduce land take and better fit in with the surrounding existing road network into which they connect:

between Preeze Cross over bridge and TrethorneMillpool Road to Preeze Cross over bridge

On and off slip roadsFor the off slips, the lane width has been increased to allow vehicles to leave the main flow earlier.

At the Cardinham Downs and Temple Tor junctions the on slips have been removed and replaced with a standard give way line.

DrainageThe drainage feature in the vicinity of Higher Carblake has been relocated and re-aligned at the request of the landowner. Maintenance access will be provided via the existing field entrance accessed from the Higher Carblake private road.

Cattle gridsAdditional cattle grids have been included on the new side roads in locations where we have been advised that there is a high chance of deer or stock straying onto the highway network.

SignageThe destinations shown on the advance direction signs for the three junctions have been revised in line with requests received from the local community.

Accommodation works and boundary treatmentsAll necessary accommodation works (gates and private access) and boundary treatments (Cornish hedge, post and rail fence or stock proof fence) agreed with landowners have now been included into the design.

Increased landscape and ecological mitigationOtters have been recorded in the Pounds Conce area and a large culvert will be installed here to provide a safe means of crossing the road and prevent future roadkill incidents.

Bats have also been recorded in this location and are known to use the mature trees at the Trethorne junction, which will be retained as far as possible. To extend this habitat, Cornish hedges will be constructed and planted and additional tree planting will be provided around the Preeze Cross junction to encourage the bats to fly at a safe height across the carriageway.

Common land proposalsOur proposals for exchange land being given in replacement for common land required for the scheme are included in the design (see scheme drawings TRXCP311_EC_011 to 0014).

We have provided one new access to Manor Common (also serving Greenbarrow Common) in the vicinity of the Temple Tor junction. The southernmost access to Cardinham Moor Common has been relocated to connect into the new side road arrangements at the Preeze Cross junction.

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Scheme timeline December 2012

Autumn budget

statement

Department for Transport announced their funding contribution to Cornwall Council to deliver the scheme.

November 2014

Planning decision

Cornwall Council secure power to deliver the scheme through Development Consent Order (DCO).Detailed design

Prepare construction information and secure contractor.

Pre application

consultation

Phase one and two consultation to engage with public, statutory agencies and interest groups to develop final proposals.Planning

Apply for Development Consent Order (DCO)

Business case

Finalise full business case.

Funding

Submit final business case and funding bids.

January 2015

Construction start

Contractor starts construction on site.

January 2017

Scheme opens

Cornwall Council transfer operation and maintenance of improved A30 back to Highways Agency.Design

Standard – designed in partnership with Highways Agency.Accidents – frequency and severity reduced. Environmental impacts – reduced by on-line alignment.Construction cost – reduced by value engineering.

Historic consultations

Local 1 - 98% support for the Council’s proposals.Wider community 2 - 65% see the scheme as a priority’ Business 3 - 79% said it would have a positive impact.Statutory 4 - supportive due to reduced impact.

Delivery

National significant infrastructure project – fixed timescales for decisions.Development Consent Order – grants powers to Council to deliver scheme. Cornwall Council – experience of delivering major infrastructure projects.

Business case

Interim Stage Two Business Case – submitted to DfT, September 2012.Excellent value for money – Benefit Cost Ratio 4.3 to 1Transport benefits – in excess of £154m due to reduced delays.Economic benefits – in excess of £117m to the Cornish economy.

Funding

Preparatory costs – funded by Cornwall Council. Locally sourced funding – £30m available for the scheme. DfT funding – contribution fixed at £30m.

1 Recent engagement sessionheld by Cornwall Council 2 2012 Cornwall community attitudes survey

3 Original 2010 business case survey 4 Ongoing liaison

Connecting Cornwall: Working towards an improved strategic transport network

If you would like this information in another format or language please contact: Cornwall Council, County Hall, Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AYor telephone: 0300 1234 100 email: enquiries@cornwall.gov.uk www.cornwall.gov.uk

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For more information:

Visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/majorschemes

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Engineering Design Group, Murdoch Building, Scorrier, Redruth, TR16 5EH

Email A30Temple@cornwall.gov.uk

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