A KEY crossing over a stretch of the A38 could end up being replaced by a new footbridge following a rethink by council officers.

Somerset County Council and North Somerset Council published initial proposals in June 2021 for nine improvement schemes to improve traffic flow along the A38 between Bristol Airport and the Edithmead roundabout in Highbridge, near junction 22 of the M5.

One of the schemes identified would see the replacement of the existing crossing over the A38 Bridgwater Road near Axbridge, which forms part of the Strawberry Line active travel route.

Somerset Council announced in late-February that it will be requesting £470,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) to upgrade this crossing as part of a wider bid with North Somerset Council.

But following feedback from an influential transport charity, the council has hinted that a footbridge could be delivered instead if it proves to be a more cost-effective option.

The existing crossing straddles the A38 south of the Winscombe tunnel section of the Strawberry Line, within the Mendip Hills national landscape.

The crossing is not currently signal-controlled, with pedestrians and cyclists having to contend with narrow limited pavements either side and the busy main road.

The original proposals envisaged replacing this with a straighter, signal-controlled toucan crossing, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross together more easily.

But John Grimshaw, founder of Greenways and Cycle Routes, said it would be more effective to construct a new footbridge. He said: “The recent announcement of spending nearly half a million pounds on a light-controlled crossing is really not the right answer, when I estimate that we could construct a bridge for not much more.”

Greenways and Cycle Routes has been advising and assisting community groups to deliver new and improved walking and cycling routes across Somerset, including the creation of multi-user paths as part of the Glastonbury town deal and an extension of the Strawberry Line near Dulcote.

As part of a new ‘missing link’ connecting the two Strawberry Line sections in Shepton Mallet, a new lightweight bridge is expected to be installed over the B3136 West Shepton.

A spokesman said: “Our initial bid was for funding to install an upgraded crossing at this location;  however we are aware there is a lot of local interest in exploring the option of a bridge, which we are looking at. This would be a bigger project than the one we’re currently proposing with a much higher cost.”