A KEY crossing over a busy Somerset road could end up being replaced by a new footbridge following a rethink by council officers.

Somerset County Council and North Somerset Council published initial proposals in June 2021 for nine improvement schemes to improve traffic flow along the A38 between Bristol Airport and the Edithmead roundabout in Highbridge, near junction 22 of the M5.

One of the schemes identified would see the replacement of the existing crossing over the A38 Bridgwater Road near Axbridge, which forms part of the Strawberry Line active travel route between Yatton railway station and Station Road in Cheddar.

Somerset Council (which replaced the county council in April 2023) announced in late-February that it will be requesting £470,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) to upgrade this crossing as part of a wider bid with North Somerset Council.

But following feedback from an influential transport charity, the council has hinted that a footbridge could be delivered instead if it proves to be a more cost-effective option.

The existing crossing straddles the A38 south of the Winscombe tunnel section of the Strawberry Line, within the Mendip Hills national landscape (formerly area of outstanding natural beauty, or AONB).

The crossing is not currently signal-controlled, with pedestrians and cyclists having to contend with narrow limited pavements near bus stops on either side and the busy main road.

The original proposals envisaged replacing this with a straighter, signal-controlled toucan crossing, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross together more easily without dodging cars and HGVs.

But John Grimshaw, founder of Greenways and Cycle Routes, said that it would be more effective to construct a new footbridge, carrying pedestrians and cyclists high above the traffic.

Mr Grimshaw – a qualified civil engineer – said: “The recent announcement of spending nearly half a million pounds on a light-controlled crossing is really not the right answer, when I estimate that we could construct a bridge for not much more.

“I do not believe that lights on this long, fast hill will ever be really safe, and even if they were, path users would still be faced with long ramps – whereas a bridge would not inconvenience either path users or traffic on the main road.

“At the very least, Somerset Council should ask us to prepare a bridge proposal for comparison.”

Greenways and Cycle Routes has been advising and assisting community groups to deliver new and improved walking and cycling routes across Somerset, including the creation of multi-user paths as part of the Glastonbury town deal and an extension of the Strawberry Line near Dulcote.

As part of a new ‘missing link’ connecting the two Strawberry Line sections in Shepton Mallet, a new lightweight bridge is expected to be installed over the B3136 West Shepton, resting on the original railway abutments.

Somerset Council said it would look carefully at all proposed solutions for the A38 crossing to deliver a solution which was the most beneficial and cost-effective for taxpayers.

A spokesman said: “This is part of a wider government-funded scheme to make improvements along the A38 in partnership with North Somerset Council.

“Our initial bid was for funding to install an upgraded crossing at this location;  however we are aware there is a lot of local interest in exploring the option of a bridge, which we are looking at.

“This would be a bigger project than the one we’re currently proposing with a much higher cost.

“We are therefore carefully looking at the proposals and liaising closely with key stakeholders, including user groups, to understand the best way forward.”

The wider funding bid also includes £6.4m to upgrade the Edithmead roundabout (which links Highbridge with junction 22 of the M5) and undisclosed amounts for smaller-scale improvements in the villages of Cross and Rooksbridge.

A final decision on the bid is expected to be made by the DfT later in the year. If the bid is successful, work on all the included schemes will be undertaken “late in 2025 or 2026”.

For more information on the Strawberry Line, including how to get involved as a volunteer, visit www.thestrawberryline.org.uk.