Years of waiting for a link road into Exmouth are set to end in the autumn when the Dinan Way extension is expected to open.
The announcement the new road will open sometime in September coincides with council chiefs agreeing temporary traffic lights on the main A376 route into the town will be packed away within weeks for the summer.
Part of the A376 between the new link road and Courtlands Lane junction will be closed temporarily in September while a new roundabout is constructed.
During that time, traffic will be diverted onto the new link road while the new roundabout is built.
The county council said the new roundabout was a ’complex’ build because of rerouting underground services, but expected the link road to be finished by the end of the year.
A Devon County Council (DCC) spokesman said: “The majority of the new 800-metre road has now been constructed including a new roundabout at Hulham Road, together with a significant amount of earthmoving, construction of a six-metre-high retaining wall and highway drainage system.
“The installation of a bus stop and footpath at Hulham Road, near Kings Nursery, is due to be completed in the coming weeks.
“Tree planting and creation of new hedge banks is ongoing, and large attenuation ponds are still under construction to ensure no additional surface water run-off reaches local water courses.”
The authority said temporary traffic lights on the A376 will be removed at the end of the month for the summer. And work on the main route in and out of Exmouth will pause, restarting in the autumn.
The Dinan Way road extension in February 2026 – progress is being made, however heavy rain has caused delays to it being completed.
Photo: DCC.
The finish date for the new road, linking the A376 to Dinan Way, in Brixington, has been pushed back multiple times from its initial expected completion in October 2025.
The DCC spokesman said: “Temporary traffic signals which have been in place for the construction of the Dinan Way extension, will be cleared from the A376 on Friday 29 May to help ease traffic flow in and out of Exmouth during the summer.
“The new Dinan Way extension will then open for use in September with traffic being diverted onto the new road while construction of the new roundabout on the A376 is carried out.
“To undertake work on the new roundabout, which is the final element of the scheme, the A376 will be temporarily closed from the roundabout site to the Courtlands Lane junction, while traffic uses the new link road.
“The development of this roundabout is complex due to the amount of underground services in the area, a number of which need to be re-routed by third parties.
“The exact date of the opening of the new section of Dinan Way, and the duration of the closure of the short stretch of the A376 are still to be confirmed, but the scheme is now due to be complete by the end of the year.”
He added: “The project has been delayed due to the significant impact of poor weather earlier in the year, combined with supply chain issues. As a result, the critical A376 works were pushed into the summer holiday period.
“To minimise disruption during this busy time, a decision was made to pause the work and remove traffic management from the A376, the main route into and out of Exmouth, to help ease traffic flow during Exmouth’s peak tourist season.
“Work on the A376 will recommence after the summer holidays.”
Plans for the Dinan Way extension were approved in 2017.
