In the early hours of this morning the South Devon Highway was opened to traffic for the first time.

After a wait that lasted over 60 years since this road was first proposed in the 1950’s, the Mayor of Torbay Gordon Oliver, the Leader of Devon County Council John Hart, Cllr Robert Excell and MP Kevin Foster were joined the group of engineers who removed the bollards just before 4am to open the two carriageways that now link our bay to the main highway network of the UK.

The opening of the new road marks the end of Torquay having the dubious honour of being one of the largest towns in England not served by a dual carriageway road link. A formal ceremony will be held in the New Year to celebrate the project and thank all those involved in it.

If you are driving to Newton Abbot this morning you will able to use the new road, rather than the old route that was regularly congested at various points during the day. It is predicted that the new road will remove 95% of traffic from the old route through Kingskerswell Village. You can see an aerial video of the new road taken a few days ago by clicking here.

Over the last 2 years this project has attracted national attention, including visits from both the Chancellor and Prime Minister, helping encourage businesses to invest in the bay. Over the coming years work will must continue to turn the opportunities the link road presents into the achievements delivered in the bay thanks to it. Yet for today it is good to finally be able to say, the link road is open.