Thorney Road closed
The final part of the project to improve flood defences for the northern part of the village of Thorney will start next week.
This will mean a four-week closure of the road between Thorney and Muchelney. A diversion has been set up by County Highways but be warned, it is a very long way round!
The closure is to allow the level of the road to be raised. The work will be carried out by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board on behalf of the Environment Agency. John Rowlands from the Environment Agency explains “The work involves raising the road to the same height as the recently raised earth banks that make up the remainder of the scheme. Tying the road height into the earth banks will protect 14 local properties. We are grateful to the community and landowners for their patience with the disruption associated with these works.”
The project to date has imported 10,000 tonnes clay and ensured that 850 metres of bank have been improved and raised to a new crest height of 9 metres.
Two separate schemes in the area have seen a ring bank built to protect the southern part of Thorney by the Internal Drainage Board and last month Somerset County Council completed work raising a 500metre stretch of the Drayton Road into nearby Muchelney to prevent the village being cut off during flooding.
Somerset County Council have set up the following diversion route around the closed road between Thorney and Muchelney:
Travelling from the north, the diversion route during the works is through Huish Episcopi, the A372 to Long Sutton, Long Load, Stapleton Cross, Coat, and Kingsbury Episcopi. Details can be found on the Council’s website here http://www.somerset.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-transport/road-closures/road-closures-within-south-somerset/