Somerset Council has confirmed that major construction work to overhaul Burnham-On-Sea’s M5 roundabout at Edithmead will begin on January 6th, 2027, marking the start of a year-long project to transform one of the area’s busiest junctions.
The work, which will run until January 4th, 2028, forms part of a wider package of improvements along the A38 corridor between the motorway and Bristol Airport, designed to cut journey times, ease congestion and improve road safety.
The council announced earlier this summer that Centregreat — the contractor behind the £10.7m Dunball roundabout upgrade completed in November 2025 — will deliver the Edithmead scheme.
Detailed designs and the confirmed start date were published ahead of a meeting of the council’s executive committee on September 2nd, setting out how the roundabout will be reshaped into a signalised throughabout to allow traffic from the M5 to move more freely onto the northbound A38 towards Cheddar and Weston-super-Mare.
The plans include creating a two‑lane ‘through’ route directly across the centre of the roundabout, giving northbound drivers a more direct exit and reducing the risk of queues forming on the slip-road. The roundabout itself will be widened, with additional lanes added on approaches from the M5, the A38 Bristol Road and the B3140.
New pedestrian and cycling links will be built on the western side to create a safer active travel corridor for those approaching from either end of Bristol Road.
To protect the junction from flooding, an attenuation basin will be constructed in the centre, alongside improvements to the Brent Broad Rhyne and nearby waterways. The council says the scheme will improve safety, journey reliability and network resilience while supporting planned housing and employment growth across the area.
The Edithmead upgrade is one of four schemes being delivered within Somerset Council’s boundaries. The others include traffic calming measures in Rooksbridge, a remodelled staggered crossroads at the Cross junction near Axbridge, and improvements to the Shute Shelve crossing on the Strawberry Line.
The total cost of all four schemes is estimated at £18.78m, with £9.16m funded by the Department for Transport and £9m contributed by Somerset Council through transport grants, underspends and capital funding. A further £618,000 will come from developer contributions linked to housing growth in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge.
Ahead of the main works, Centregreat will begin an eight‑week “lead‑in” phase from October 14th to December 12th, during which preliminary site activity may take place and a construction compound will be set up beside the roundabout. Information on closures, diversions and speed restrictions will be published online in the coming weeks.
The council’s construction schedule indicates that work on the Cross junction is likely to overlap with the latter stages of the Edithmead project, meaning motorists could face two sets of delays on the A38 next autumn. The Cross junction upgrade is currently scheduled to run from August 26th, 2027, to March 20th, 2028, while dates for the Rooksbridge and Shute Shelve schemes are still to be confirmed.
