Tried the new A30 and there is a big problem with the layout

This is. After four years, a global pandemic, a scorching summer and far too much rain, closures, a six-month delay and lengthy diversions, the A30 is finally open. The former 8.7 mile bottle neck between Carland Cross and Chiverton Cross is no more.

Instead, a new £330m dual carriageway has replaced it and its tarmac is shiny and clean. National Highways and its contractor Costain said ancillary works would continue over the next six months to complete access roads, access roads, junctions, bridges and tunnels, signage, as well as several more miles of Cornish hedgerows and all the plantings that need. ok but all in all you can drive from carlisle to camborne at 70mph before the road turns to one lane for the last 15 miles or so to penzance.

Residents and tourists in the area have already driven on parts of the A30 as various trunks have opened over the past two years. But it was always single lane and lined with traffic cones. Until yesterday (Monday 24 June) you did not travel along the A30 between Carland Cross and Chivvy. You were crawling at top speeds of 30 mph. Sometimes it was so slow you could have gone faster.

Read more: Completion of A30 dualling project expected in autumn

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We put the new A30 to the test to see what it’s like and were surprised at how fast people were driving it. It felt like after four years of pent-up frustration, queues and detours, people had something to do and they bombed.

To meet the professional needs of the CornwallLive photographer, I went up and down the Carland to Chivy section of the A30 about three times (that’s 52 miles!). While complying with the constraints of the Highway Code for dual carriageways, we covered the nearly nine-mile section from Carland to Chivvy in 7 minutes and 15 seconds. 70 mph all the way. We can’t remember how long it would have taken in the old days of the A30, but it must have been a lot faster than it used to be.

The real test will of course come in a few weeks when schools break for the summer and thousands of tourists return to Cornwall for their holidays.

I mentioned the ancillary work in progress. Most drivers won’t be too bothered by the fact that you still can’t merge onto what is now the old A30 in certain places, such as at the Chybucca junction (Truro to Perranporth bridge) or further afield at Zelah. Most drivers will not feel the impact of the green bridge under construction as there are no lane closures or speed restrictions in the area.

However, for the next three weeks you can expect some chaos and confusion at the Chiverton Cross roundabout where there is no direct access to St Agnes Road or petrol services. Despite large signs to the contrary, it’s best to focus on the temporary yellow work signs warning that the road is closed. You’ll be surprised the first time though, I promise. So get ready for the ultimate road rage occasion.

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After arranging to meet our photographer in the Starbucks car park just off Chivvy Cross we traveled from Truro to Chybucca on the slip road to Redruth with the intention of disembarking at Chivvy and walking the half road on St Agnes road. Everything is dropped, which definitely took us by surprise. In a panic, we took the Newquay road before turning back.

There are diversion signs in place, but they were confusing and took us on a merry-go-round around the roundabout a couple of times. The black diamond sign to follow being in front of the diversion signs saying to follow the black diamond sign certainly didn’t clear things up.

All in all, if you want a weak chai latte or to fill up your fossil fuel tank, you’ll need to get off at Scorrier and travel via Chacewater to Chiverton Cross. If you wish to rejoin the A30 afterwards, you will need to return on the same road to Scorrier, where there is access to the east and west on the A30.

Expect some confused drivers near Chivvy over the next three weeks as that St Agnes road is resurfaced. But apart from that, it’s been so long since the doubling work started that going 70mph all the way down feels pretty liberating… and in case you weren’t too sure, cyclists, pedestrians, riders and ponies and traps are definitely not allowed. on the new A30. Not that anyone needs reminding, but signage is still funny!

Drivers can get up-to-the-minute travel information on local radio, the @HighwaysSWEST X feed ( Twitter ), by calling the National Highways Information Line on 0300 123 5000 or by visiting the website: www.trafficengland.com

For more information visit https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-west/a30-chiverton-to-carland-cross/