Motorists in Cornwall were left baffled by "confusing" temporary speed limit signs which were put in place in a roadworks area on the A38. It came as National Highways began work on the £25m refurbishment project of the Saltash Tunnel on Monday, January 13.
As part of the project, the eastbound carriageway of the tunnel will be closed on weeknights from 8pm to 6am, until the end of February. Overnight traffic will be diverted from Carkeel roundabout via the B3271 and North Road.
The speed limit between Carkeel roundabout and the tunnel has also temporarily been reduced from 50mph to 30mph to ensure the safety of construction workers and travelling members of the public. However, the initial speed limit signage had caused confusion amongst motorists as signs indicating 30mph, 40mph and 50mph speed limits were all visible in the same area.
This resulted in questions being raised about which speed restriction to follow and whether drivers would be fined by the new speed cameras on the stretch of road for breaking the speed limit amidst the confusion. However, National Highways has said it has now resolved this issue and clarified that the temporary speed limit is in fact 30mph.
It is also understood that no fines will be issued during the initial, confusing signage arrangement but drivers will now need to follow the clearly signposted mandatory speed restriction.
Julian Mitchell, National Highways tunnel manager, said: “We’ve recently started the first phase of an extensive programme of work to update technology in and around the A38 Saltash Tunnel. A 30mph speed restriction is now in place between Carkeel roundabout and the tunnel to ensure the safety of both construction workers and the travelling public.
“The 30mph limit enables us to keep both lanes open during the day while excavation and construction works take place on the carriageway verges, and we’re aware that initial signage in the area led to some confusion. The speed restriction has now been clearly signposted and shows the road speed as 30mph while this work takes place.”
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