Cattle grid problems ironed out

4 January 2021 · by · in Councillor John Woodman, roads

A key piece of work to fix a hazardous issue affecting motorists in West Somerset has been completed by Somerset County Council’s Highways Team.
Hill Road on North Hill near Minehead is on a step gradient and can challenge drivers at the best of times. And to add to this an old cattle grid was causing a very real danger to road users.
The grid was cut into the hill in a step which was causing onboard computers on some more modern vehicles to apply advanced braking systems for what appeared to be an obstruction. This has resulted in a number of incidents with cars leaving the road.
Thankfully there have been no serious collisions but something needed to be done. The Council’s Highways team and contractor Skanska have completely redesigned the grid and its carriageway approaches to create a virtually smooth ride across the grid. But the work meant a month- period of partial closure as this required extensive work.
“This was a major operation which required a lot of man hours, and more than a little patience from the public, for which we’d like to say thank you,” said Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr John Woodman.
“The team were able to capitalise on the fact that Covid restrictions meant fewer tourists and less traffic in general.”
The work included raising about 90 feet of road considerably with new kerb lines, enhanced drainage and gullies and crucially the new galvanised grid with and new fencing along with a wider gate which allows better access for motorhomes and caravans using the campsite nearby.
Submitted by Communications