Launceston braces for two weeks of overnight street closures

If your route in or out of Launceston town centre runs along Exeter Street, Southgate Street or Madford Lane, get ready to find another way after dark. From Friday 25 September, those roads become a working carriageway repair site through the small hours, and anyone who leaves a car in the wrong spot risks watching it towed away.

When the closures start, and how long they’ll run

The work is part of Cornwall Council‘s highway maintenance programme for September 2026, delivered by Cormac. A road closure covering Exeter Street, Southgate Street and Madford Lane begins on Friday 25 September, while crews repair the carriageway surface. It runs from 7pm to 4am each week night, and is expected to take up to two weeks to finish.

Cormac says it knows night-time working brings noise that can disturb residents, and that it aims to complete the noisiest operations as early as possible in each shift. If the works overrun for any reason, it says it will try to keep the impact down.

The Clearway zone, and what happens if you leave a car there

Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, Cormac can declare nominated roads a Clearway zone for the length of a job like this, on the council’s behalf. Every household and business in the affected area should already have had a letter before work starts, and signs go up locally to explain the parking restrictions.

During working hours, the Clearway Parking Zone covers the whole site. Any vehicle left in a signed area during that time will be towed, with charges applying, and any usual parking bays in the area are suspended for the duration. The site team say they will try to trace the driver or owner of a car before it’s removed. If a vehicle is towed, the owner needs to call 0300 1234 222 to arrange collection.

Getting in and out while it’s underway

Through traffic is diverted away from the closure, with signs going up at major junctions beforehand to steer non-local vehicles onto a suitable route. Residents and businesses inside the site keep access, but through gateways staffed by traffic marshals rather than a free run of the road, and Cormac is warning of significant delays at these points.

Drivers needing to get in or out are asked to stop at the gateway and follow the marshal’s directions rather than push through, and to expect extra hold-ups if the crew need to move machinery out of the way or redirect access to the other end of the site. Emergency access is maintained at all times.

The hazards to watch for on site

Cormac has flagged a handful of everyday trip hazards while the surface is being worked on: uneven road where the old surface has been stripped away, raised manholes, gullies and other service boxes, and kerb heights that vary from the norm when stepping off the footway. It’s asking pedestrians to use whichever crossing points are provided rather than picking a spot themselves. The firm says every site is risk assessed, with safety measures in line with current health and safety and Public Health England guidance.

What could change the timetable

Resurfacing work is weather dependent, so cold temperatures or heavy rain could push the schedule back. If a shift is postponed or cancelled, Cormac says it will update the advance notice boards on site rather than leave people guessing. Anyone relying on the bus into Launceston during the works is pointed to Cornwall Council’s planned public transport service disruptions page for any knock-on changes to routes.

Getting in touch

Questions about the resurfacing itself can go to Cormac by email at [email protected]. A wider problem on a Cornwall road, closure or diversion can be checked or reported through one.network or Cornwall Council’s own report a road problem page. Anything that looks like a genuine threat to public safety should go straight to 0300 1234 222, which is staffed around the clock.

📷Map: Cornwall Council / Cormac

“Thank you for your patience while these works take place” is how Cormac signs off its notice to residents, with the small print underneath doing the real work: subject to change at short notice, especially in poor weather.