J26 M5 Imminent closure of the Junction for fourteen!!! weeks

[Emmit]

The above junction acts as a spur down to the A38 and Wellington, Somerset.
Many of you will be aware that at this junction where one would turn off the Motorway to go to Chelston, Apple Campers or even Lidl.

We have just been informed that the WHOLE JUNCTION! is to be closed for over three months to facilitate the removal and resurface of the road and roundabout.

Astonishingly, it wasn't built into the budget to install a footpath along this road that supplies access to a huge trading estate employing hundreds of workers.

If you should require access to Foxmoor that houses Apple or the roundabout where Chelston is, it will be necessary to turn off the Motorway, one junction up or one down.

 

[RetiredPope]

Was in Apple Campers on Tuesday as they will hopefully do some work on our van in August. They have yet to have details of how they and customers can get access to the industrial estate. Only been told that provision will be made ! Living the other side of Taunton we will be avoiding the town centre as much as possible during this time. Always fun when the motorway traffic is sent through Taunton.

 

[gus-lopez]

Astonishingly, it wasn't built into the budget to install a footpath along this road that supplies access to a huge trading estate employing hundreds of workers.

Probably because when it was built the trading estate did not exist. Even the J26 access roundabout was the end of the world.You could sit there for hours & never see a vehicle exit or enter. & also the police unit round the other side was not there either.
I once broke down approaching that junction from the north .I could have coasted down the slip road but didn't due to the fact that you rarely ever saw anyone down there. Even the AA man who entered at the junction going north to Taunton J25 & returned to me agreed .

Any date for when it is shutting?

 

[Carpmart]

Drove past Valencia a couple of weeks back, on the good old AP7, where one encounters the aftermath of part of the tragedy of the floods last year! More specifically, one can see the washed out section of road, currently being permanently repaired.

The reason I mention this is one is diverted, at 50kph, around a new section of road laid in, I believe eight days, to enable their critical national infrastructure, namely the AP7, to remain functional whilst permanently repaired!

So, my summarisation is, why on gods green earth does it take the Highways Agency 14 weeks to resurface a bloody junction! 14 days closed, based on the Valencian school of logic, is even too long!

Utter madness!!

 

[RetiredPope]

The issue here is that the road is the old pre-cast concrete sections, noisy and horrible, but last for decades. The concrete sections are being broken up on-site and processed into hard core for the new road foundations.
Having said that, locally we cannot understand why the link road is not being done in sections with traffic lights, still a PIA but less disruptive.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Emmit]

Probably because when it was built the trading estate did not exist. Even the J26 access roundabout was the end of the world.You could sit there for hours & never see a vehicle exit or enter. & also the police unit round the other side was not there either.
I once broke down approaching that junction from the north .I could have coasted down the slip road but didn't due to the fact that you rarely ever saw anyone down there. Even the AA man who entered at the junction going north to Taunton J25 & returned to me agreed .

Any date for when it is shutting?

"Probably because when it was built the trading estate did not exist."

That may have been true then.
However, there is no plan, even after removing the present concrete road in its entirety, to put a footpath in now.

Edit.
Sorry, I've just noticed that I omitted in my original post to say that not only are they closing the junction. They are ripping up the entire concreted spur bet. The M5 and the A38.
They has been no consultation with the Trading Estate, the occupiers of businesses who trade from that estate and that includes the providers of breakdown services who are on contract to cover the M5.

 

[Emmit]

Probably because when it was built the trading estate did not exist. Even the J26 access roundabout was the end of the world.You could sit there for hours & never see a vehicle exit or enter. & also the police unit round the other side was not there either.
I once broke down approaching that junction from the north .I could have coasted down the slip road but didn't due to the fact that you rarely ever saw anyone down there. Even the AA man who entered at the junction going north to Taunton J25 & returned to me agreed .

Any date for when it is shutting?

The businesses were originally told,,,,,
This morning

 

[Emmit]

Drove past Valencia a couple of weeks back, on the good old AP7, where one encounters the aftermath of part of the tragedy of the floods last year! More specifically, one can see the washed out section of road, currently being permanently repaired.

The reason I mention this is one is diverted, at 50kph, around a new section of road laid in, I believe eight days, to enable their critical national infrastructure, namely the AP7, to remain functional whilst permanently repaired!

So, my summarisation is, why on gods green earth does it take the Highways Agency 14 weeks to resurface a bloody junction! 14 days closed, based on the Valencian school of logic, is even too long!

Utter madness!!

See my amendment.
They're ripping up the whole length of spur as well.
Even so???

 

[paul2]

When are they starting the road works? I'm booked in at Chelston next
Tuesday 6th May

 

[Emmit]

When are they starting the road works? I'm booked in at Chelston next
Tuesday 6th May

The way it sounded, (I was just an 'innocent' eavesdropper, I haven't got a clue.
I suggest you ring Chelston the day or two before.
If you're coming from home and the junction is closed, you'll have to turn off at either J25 which I think is Taunton or drive past and double back on yourself at J 27.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[paul2]

Thanks I'll will phone them.

 

[RetiredPope]

When are they starting the road works? I'm booked in at Chelston next
Tuesday 6th May

You should be fine, closed for around 14 weeks from 16 June to mid to late September

Major refurbishment of Junction 26 and Chelston Link road

Information about refurbishing Junction 26 of the M5 along with the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington.

www.somerset.gov.uk

 

[cyberyacht]

So, my summarisation is, why on gods green earth does it take the Highways Agency 14 weeks to resurface a bloody junction! 14 days closed, based on the Valencian school of logic, is even too long!

On a smaller scale they redid the flyover junction for Gran Alacant on the N332 about ten years back. Managed the whole thing over a weekend.

You should be fine, closed for around 14 weeks from 16 June to mid to late September

You can bet it'll over-run. Might "all be over by Christmas".

Down here they've been faffing around with the M27 for years and so far seem to have done very little.

 

[gus-lopez]

The issue here is that the road is the old pre-cast concrete sections, noisy and horrible,

Yes it was coming back to me after posting yesterday about it being concrete* & they also surfaced the A30 in/out of exeter ,against everyones wishes in concrete.

* I watch quite a few youtube programmes that are american .When they are outside it is barely understandable with the noise from the concrete roads

Having said that, locally we cannot understand why the link road is not being done in sections with traffic lights, still a PIA but less disruptive.

Yes, why not one side & traffic light controlled on the other ?

They has been no consultation with the Trading Estate, the occupiers of businesses who trade from that estate and that includes the providers of breakdown services who are on contract to cover the M5.

sounds about right

The businesses were originally told,,,,,
This morning

as above

You should be fine, closed for around 14 weeks from 16 June to mid to late September

Major refurbishment of Junction 26 and Chelston Link road

Information about refurbishing Junction 26 of the M5 along with the A38 Chelston link road near Wellington.

www.somerset.gov.uk

Brilliant planning? So when the caravans crash between 25 & 26 on the M5, a regular weekend occurrence,how are they getting the traffic off ?

 

[Emmit]

Yes it was coming back to me after posting yesterday about it being concrete* & they also surfaced the A30 in/out of exeter ,against everyones wishes in concrete.

* I watch quite a few youtube programmes that are american .When they are outside it is barely understandable with the noise from the concrete roads

Yes, why not one side & traffic light controlled on the other ?

sounds about right

as above

Brilliant planning? So when the caravans crash between 25 & 26 on the M5, a regular weekend occurrence,how are they getting the traffic off ?

Thunderbirds are GO!!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[dash300]

This link has a diagram to help describe the closure half way down the script.

MSN

 

[hja]

The key to this is Highways England. They operate entirely to their own legal and regulatory system! Have had dealings with them when they tried to steal some of our garden!