A planned closure of a six-mile stretch of the A30 is scheduled to begin tonight (Friday).

The A30 will be fully closed between the Boxheater junction and Chiverton Cross roundabout, to enable the installation of a new Tolgroggan accommodation bridge near Zelah.

The work has been moved twice, due to the ground not being stable enough, but it will now take place this weekend, February 17 to 20 – the end of half term.

National Highways said the ground was previously not firm enough to accommodate the 600-tonne crane needed to lift the 137-foot bridge.

Neil Winter, National Highways’ senior project manager for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, said last week: “Adverse weather over the past two months, a mixture of heavy rainfall and low temperatures, has thrown up circumstances out of our control, but a little extra time will ensure the ground has firm footings required for what is a large-scale and off-road crane lift.

“It won’t impact on our programme or future road opening date, and, based on traffic modelling from last year’s half-term, the weekend of 17-20 will cause lesser disruption to local communities and people making holiday journeys in Cornwall."

The road will now be closed from 8pm today (Friday) and reopen to traffic by 6am on Monday.

Clearly signed diversions will be in place via the Boxheater Junction and Chiverton Cross roundabout, with eastbound traffic diverted via the A3075 to Goonhavern and the B3285 to rejoin the A30.

The westbound diversion will operate in reverse, with the B3284 remaining open under temporary traffic signals north and south across the Chybucca roundabout.

Mr Winter added: “We apologise for any confusion caused by the rescheduling.”

The installation operation will see the new 137ft (42-metre) structure being lifted into place before the dismantling of the old accommodation bridge later in the year.

The new bridge weighs 275 tonnes, the equivalent weight of 23 double decker buses - or 887,097 standard Cornish pasties - and once completed it will span both the new dual carriageway and the old A30, which will be detrunked for improved local connectivity and traffic.

As part of the multi-million upgrade, the new A30 carriageway is scheduled to be open in winter 2023 and further information on the scheme is available at National Highways’ A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross web page.