Ongoing heavy rain has caused delays to a major road extension in Exmouth, pushing the expected finish date back by months.
The announcement was made as the county council released an update on the work completed so far on the Dinan Way extension.
Devon County Council (DCC) said the new road, linking the A376 to Dinan Way, in Brixington, initially expected to be finished in October 2025, will now be completed sometime in early summer, a delay of more than six months.
A county council spokesperson said: “Work on the Dinan Way extension in Exmouth is being hampered by the ongoing heavy rain, but progress is continuing to be made.
“Unfortunately, the scheme is running behind schedule and is now expected to be completed in June.
“Due to the volume of rainfall, Octavius Infrastructure Limited has had to seek approval from the Environment Agency for temporary drainage measures which will help to manage surface water run-off at the site while work continues.”
Overnight road closures continue until Tuesday, February 24 on the A376 between the Summer Lane junction and Pitts Farm junction for highway drainage improvements.
The DCC spokesperson said: “These closures will also be used for survey work to establish the exact location of services and structural foundations which could impact the surfacing work to tie-in with the construction of the A376 roundabout.
“This includes gas main diversion works on the A376, which is expected to be completed over the next couple of months.
“Devon County Council and contractor Octavius Infrastructure Limited are currently discussing dates for this work.”
The county council said next steps in the new road plan include:
- The upgrade of the existing informal crossing at Gorse Lane into a Toucan crossing with an island is expected to be ready next month, along with the informal crossing on Marley Road which is being converted into a Puffin crossing.
- Work to introduce a bus layby at Kings Nursery on Hulham Road is due to start in March and is expected to be ready in April.
- Summer Lane, which has been closed to through-traffic will be resurfaced in the coming weeks.
The DCC spokesperson added: “Other extensive work to divert existing utility services has already been completed, including a water main diversion on Hulham Road, as well as BT and Virgin Media diversions on both the A376 and Hulham Road.”
Devon County Council confirmed:
- The new Hulham Road roundabout has been surfaced. Road markings and high friction surfacing are still to be added.
- The majority of the new kerbing and new highways drainage system on the new section of Dinan Way have been installed.
- A signalised pedestrian crossing has been introduced across the A376 Exeter Road, near the Co-op store. Junction improvements to Pound Lane/Hulham Road are complete.
