FRUSTRATED motorists will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the roadworks at Bridgwater’s busiest junction look set to be finished by the end of the month.

During a meeting with town councillors last week EDF representatives confirmed that work would start on the final phasing of the Taunton Road/Broadway junction works today (Tuesday) with St Mary Street expected to be free of roadworks by the end of June.

Work will now begin on planing and slot cutting at the north end of the junction which EDF admit will be ‘quite noisy’ and with the bulk of the disruption stretching from 7pm through the night until 6am.

However EDF told town councillors that the noisiest part would be finished by 11pm.

During this phase there will be no access to St Mary Street with a diversion in place directing people along Broadway.

Chairing the meeting, Bridgwater Mayor Cllr Redman said: “The town council is glad to have found a way forward which has sped up the works and will bring the disruption to an end sooner rather than later.”

EDF has confirmed to the Mercury that the roadworks should be complete by July and from then on commissioning work will begin.

This will involve wiring the new traffic lights as well as linking them to the rest of the lights in the town.

An EDF spokesman said that the commissioning phase may last until autumn, though traffic restrictions at the junction should be minimal.

However disgruntled traders in St Mary Street say that the business lost over the last six months will not be easy to make up.

Lee Passmore of Biddiscombes Furniture store said: “We just feel like we haven’t been listened to. “EDF have just done what they want anyway.

“While we are happy that the road will be reopened fully and the compound will be moved we’ve lost six or seven months worth of business which we won’t get back.”