Burnham-On-Sea’s long‑planned upgrade of the busy M5 junction 22 roundabout will not be scrapped to help fund increased national defence spending, Somerset Council has confirmed, ending days of speculation that the multi‑million‑pound project could be quietly dropped.
The council, which is working alongside North Somerset Council on a package of improvements along the A38 between the motorway and Bristol Airport, said this week that the Edithmead roundabout scheme remains fully funded and on track, with the Department for Transport expected to sign off the final business case in the coming months.
The wider programme, known as the Major Road Network project, aims to shorten journey times, cut congestion and improve safety on one of the region’s most heavily used routes.
The reassurance follows claims that the A38 programme might be among the transport schemes facing cancellation after Sir Keir Starmer announced plans in late June to increase defence spending by £15bn over four years, with savings to be found within the DfT and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Two major road projects elsewhere — the A46 Newark bypass and improvements to the A38 in Derby — have already been officially dropped.
Somerset Council said this week that the Edithmead upgrade is not under threat, and that the Prime Minister’s announcement, now being implemented by his successor Andy Burnham, will not affect funding for the local programme. A spokesperson said simply: “The funding of the A38 major road network schemes will not be impacted by this announcement.”
The Edithmead roundabout is set to be transformed into a signalised throughabout, similar to the recently completed Dunball layout in Bridgwater, allowing traffic from the M5 to move more smoothly onto the northbound A38 towards Cheddar and Weston-super-Mare.
The council’s tender documents, which identify three schemes being taken forward locally, also include a remodelled staggered crossroads at Cross, near Axbridge, and improvements to the Shute Shelve crossing on the Strawberry Line active‑travel route.
The fourth scheme originally proposed — traffic‑calming measures in Rooksbridge — does not appear in the tender, raising questions over whether it may be delivered separately or has been removed to reduce costs. While the overall A38 programme is expected to cost around £30m, the value of Centregreat’s successful tender for the Somerset elements, including Dunball, is estimated at £12.8m.
Somerset Council’s forward plan shows that a decision on preparatory works at Edithmead will come before the executive once the final business case is approved.
This will build on earlier clearance work that saw trees and vegetation removed from the junction. The council is then expected to confirm a start date for construction, along with details of any diversions.
