ROADWORKS are set to begin on a major relief road in a North Cornwall town – with an estimated start date in September 2025.

The Camel Viaduct, a 460 metre long viaduct which was opened in 1992, requires an overhaul to ensure its continued serviceability.

Cormac, which maintains the roads in Cornwall on behalf of Cornwall Council have said that the viaduct requires work to replace the waterproof protection to ensure its long term structural integrity and safety.

It added that the essential work will help prevent water ingress, which in turn could cause damage to the bridge deck and supporting structures.

It is expected that the work will last approximately 30 weeks, with traffic management comprising of temporary traffic lights with narrowed lanes.

While the project is set to start in September 2025, Cormac have said it is unable to confirm the exact start date due to the presence of transatlantic communication cables within the bridge footway.

Because the cables are classified as critical infrastructure and fall under the responsibility of statutory undertakers, the work cannot begin until the cables have been relocated to enable the waterproofing works to commence.

As well as temporary traffic lights, the speed limit will be reduced from 60 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour, along with narrowed lanes with the bridge’s dck being removed in quarterly sections.

However, further works will be required after the waterproofing project is complete. It is anticipated that during the next financial year (after April 2026), further works will be required to the expansion joint and bridge bearings which also require refurbishment.

A spokesperson for CORMAC said: “Drivers should expect potential delays particularly during peak travel times. The temporary traffic lights will remain in operation during the evening at weekends” with the roadworks taking place between 8am and 4.30pm on weekdays.