Businesses, residents and road users in Cornwall will get the chance to see detailed plans of the proposed A30 Chiverton Cross to Carland Cross upgrade when Highways England launches consultation next week.

Highways England announced the preferred route for the £290 million improvement scheme last July. The improvement to the eight-mile stretch will help to improve journey times for residents, businesses and visitors, as well as unlocking one of the last bottlenecks in Cornwall.

And since the preferred route was announced, Highways England has been working with landowners along the route to develop the design of the scheme, the details of which will be announced when consultation starts on Monday, January 29.

Josh Hodder, project manager for Highways England, said: “We recognise the strategic importance of improving this section of the A30 in helping to unlock economic growth in Cornwall and the whole of the region. We look forward to sharing our plans with local stakeholders, businesses and the community, full details of the proposals will be made available when we launch the consultation and we welcome all feedback.

“The scheme offers a number of benefits to the area - as well as boosting the area’s economy, upgrading this stretch of the A30 is vital to improving motorists’ journeys, cutting congestion, improving safety and connecting local communities.”

After the opening of the Cornwall Council-led A30 Temple to Higher Carblake dualling scheme last summer, Highways England is proposing to upgrade the eight-mile Chiverton to Carland Cross section, which will offer drivers more than 100 miles of dual carriageway between the M5 and Camborne in Cornwall.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme will be funded by central Government.

Cllr Geoff Brown, portfolio holder for transport at Cornwall Council, added: “I welcome this next step and the further consultation with communities. The scheme will help to improve journey times for local people, businesses and visitors and we know from previous public engagement that there is strong support locally to improve this stretch of the A30.

“This project will build upon the excellent working relationship that we have with Highways England and I encourage people to take this opportunity to view the proposals and discuss them with the Highways England design team.”

Public consultation events, offering people the chance to see the proposals and meet with members of the project team, will be held at the following:

Friday, February 2, St Erme Community Centre, 2-8pm; Wednesday, February 7, Blackwater Village Hall, 2-8pm; February 8, Perranporth Methodist Chapel, 10am-4pm; February 10, New County Hall, Truro, 11-5pm; February 12, Victory Hall, Indian Queens, 2-8pm; February 13, Shortlanesend Village Hall, 2-8pm; February 4, St Michael the Archangel Church, Newquay, 2-8pm.

Information will also be available to view, from January 29 to March 12, at the following local information points: County Hall, Truro, Truro Community Library, St Agnes Library, Perranporth Library, Redruth Library

and Newquay Library.

Full scheme details will also be available on the dedicated consultation webpage from next Monday, at highways.gov.uk/A30Chiverton.

Following consultation, the scheme will then progress through the formal planning process and, subject to statutory approval, construction is planned to start in spring 2020.