National Highways is advising drivers travelling into Cornwall to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys ahead of a weekend closure of the A30.

As part of the company's A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade, a 'green bridge' is being constructed over the Marazanvose section of the new A30 dual carriageway and the existing road.

Once completed and planted with trees, plants and hedging, the green bridge will maintain and enhance connectivity for wildlife habitats separated by the new road.

The bridge will not only provide better connectivity for wildlife but will also include a footpath and a bridleway for horse riders, and will increase National Highways' stable of 'green bridges' across the country.

The south deck of the bridge has already been built, and the weekend closure, from Friday, 3 November to Monday, 6 November, will enable principal contractors Costain to switch traffic on to a new section of the A30, allowing traffic to travel underneath and allow for construction of the north deck.

Caption: The diversion route in operation for the weekend closure between Chiverton and Boxheater

During the weekend closure, from 8pm on 3 November to 6am on 6 November, westbound traffic will be diverted from Boxheater on the A30 via the B3285 and the A3075 to rejoin the A30 at Chiverton with the eastbound diversion route operating in reverse.

There will also be a week of overnight closures, from 8pm to 6am, between Chiverton and Carland Cross starting on Monday, 30 October and leading up to the weekend closure, with traffic diverted via the A3076/A3058 and the A3075.

The overnight closures will enable National Highways' annual autumn maintenance to take place, including drainage work, vegetation clearance and signage and road marking renewal, while further scheme work will take place under the night closures.

Neil Winter, Senior Project Manager for National Highways' A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme, said: "We appreciate the closures will have an effect on journey times, and we understand roadworks can be frustrating, but we are carrying out this essential work overnight and over one weekend to minimise disruption, and once completed, drivers won't see any difference to their journeys through the scheme.

"We've communicated the closure in advance to local communities and businesses and once we finalise plans for further work around the Chiverton interchange, we'll be keeping people fully informed of further closures later in November and December.

"In the meantime, we thank drivers for their patience ahead of next week's overnight closures and the weekend closure to enable the traffic switch at Marazanvose."