A370 to close overnight during pylon work

Residents in Weston-super-Mare face possible disruption to journeys as major work to upgrade the electricity network begins soon.

We are to remove ageing pylons and cables stretching two miles across the town in a two-phase project that will finish next April.

Initial work begins on 21 November, followed by the removal of four pylons and their cables from 5-14 December.

Drivers using the A370 face diversions when work starts on Monday 5 December to remove the conductors crossing the dual carriageway.

This means the road will be closed between 10pm and 6am on Wednesday 7 December to Friday 9 December, as will Searle Crescent leading onto it. A cycle path next to Howards Toyota will be temporarily closed during phases of the work.

The pylons will be removed between Sunday 11 December and Wednesday 14 December.

National Grid project engineer Ben Thorne said: “This work is needed to remove pylons that are 90 years old. Taking them down and replacing them with underground cable will strengthen the network for our customers and improve the visual quality of the area.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause but we will be doing this overnight to minimise disruption.”

The second phase of work will start at the end of February. Then 14 pylons will be removed, stretching from south of Bridgwater Road near Weston Hospital, to close to the McDonald’s roundabout off Winterstoke Road. This will result in road and footpath closures, parking restrictions and temporary traffic lights.

Customers seeking further information about the work can call National Grid’s Bill Davies on 07816 264569  or Samantha Wellings on 07880 190976. For out-of-hours calls, ring 0800 096 3080.