A30 at Plusha: the six minutes that send satnavs down the lanes

You are crawling along in the single-lane queue on the A30 near Launceston when the satnav pings and suggests a quicker way round. Off the dual carriageway, down a narrow lane, through somebody’s village. Plenty of drivers have taken it up on the offer during the A30 roadworks, and the local roads around the scheme have felt the impact. Now National Highways has set out what it is doing about it.

The update has been shared by Adrian Parsons, Cornwall Councillor for Altarnun and Stoke Climsland. He says National Highways has listened to feedback from last week’s meeting about local concerns, and is now putting actions in place to try to reduce the knock-on effect on the surrounding road network.

“Let’s hope the actions below help to alleviate things a little,” Adrian said.

Why satnavs are sending drivers off the A30

The cause comes down to a few minutes. According to National Highways’ traffic data, the journey through the whole section of works normally takes about 18 minutes. When traffic builds, typically on tourist return days, that rises to around 24 minutes.

That extra six minutes is enough for live satnav units to start offering drivers diversion routes, which is how A30 traffic ends up on lanes that were never built for it. National Highways says the measures it is now taking should mitigate the problem.

New signs on the A30 and at Exeter

Three sets of signs have gone up on the A30 itself:

• Ignore satnav and remain on the A30.
• Plusha Services open as usual.
• Use both lanes and merge in turn.

Further up the line, a vehicle messaging sign on the M5 at Exeter will report congestion through the scheme, giving drivers heading west the chance to choose their route before they reach Cornwall.

Plusha Services, farm traffic and Two Bridges

On the B3257, a single lane has been set aside so agricultural vehicles can reach Plusha Services. National Highways says this will be monitored and adjusted as required.

For Polyphant, the programme is being adjusted to allow access on and off the A30 at Two Bridges. National Highways says it is working with various contractors to do this safely for drivers and workers, as soon as practicable.

Satnav providers and local road signs

National Highways is working with its Digital Services Team on what changes need to be made to the satnav data, which it says has to be carefully assessed and tested, and is working with providers to deliver them.

On the local network, it is working with Cornwall Council to keep assessing and adjusting signage, and says it has adopted a “lessons learnt” approach whenever full closures are deployed. “Local Access Only” signs are going up at key locations while the A30 is open.

📷Traffic queuing through the A30 safety works. Credit: Adrian Parsons

About the A30 safety works

The roadworks are part of National Highways’ £9.8 million A30 Kennards House to Five Lanes road safety improvements, which focus on six junctions: Plusha, Trevell, Polyphant, Two Bridges, Blackhill Quarry and the Highways depot. National Highways says this stretch has a significant level of collisions, particularly at junctions, and that the work is about safety and won’t change the capacity of the A30.

Work began in early September and is due to run until March 2027. One lane is open in each direction with 40mph and 50mph limits, and the westbound side of the Plusha junction is closed until January 2027. National Highways says delays are expected, especially on Fridays and at weekends, and free recovery is available around the clock.

Closures can change at short notice and are listed on National Highways’ daily closures page. Questions about the scheme can go to National Highways on 0300 123 5000 or [email protected].