George Park and Ride set for expansion as major Woolwell transport scheme progresses
Drivers using Tavistock Road and Woolwell Roundabout face another change to traffic routes as Plymouth City Council presses ahead with its major transport improvement scheme
Phase three of the Woolwell to The George transport improvement scheme is due to begin next month, and will see 83 additional parking spaces created at The George Park and Ride.
The expansion is intended to meet growing demand at the site, which Plymouth City Council says regularly operates at or above capacity.
Some parking spaces will be temporarily unavailable while contractors Balfour Beatty carry out the work.
Construction will be confined to smaller sections of the car park at a time to limit disruption for users.
Plymouth City Council says the additional spaces are expected to be ready by summer 2027.
The work forms part of the wider Woolwell to The George scheme, which aims to improve traffic flow and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists on one of Plymouth's busiest routes.
Meanwhile, work on the second phase of the scheme has been progressing, with utility diversions, new drainage and road widening already carried out to make way for a new dual carriageway, footpaths and cycleways.
A section of the new junction has also been completed, allowing construction to move into the existing Woolwell Roundabout.
The next major change for drivers is expected in January, when the northbound no-right-turn restriction from Tavistock Road into Woolwell Road will be reinstated.
Restrictions will apply to all vehicles except buses and emergency services and is expected to remain in place until the works finish next autumn.
Drivers travelling towards Woolwell will instead be directed around Belliver Roundabout and back down Tavistock Road, before turning left at the new junction at Woolwell Crescent.
Traffic heading into Plymouth will be reduced to a single lane at Woolwell Roundabout.
The council says the arrangement is intended to reduce queues on the A386 by removing the need for traffic to give way to vehicles turning right.
An enforcement camera will be installed at Woolwell Roundabout to monitor the restriction.
Drivers are also being reminded that entering the bus lane could result in a £70 penalty notice.
The speed limit will remain at 30mph between Belliver (Plessey) Roundabout and The George Junction while work continues.
Councillor John Stephens, Plymouth City Council's cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said the project was approaching its halfway point.
He said: “This route sees around 30,000 vehicles a day. For a long time it has been a source of frustration and delays for drivers.
"We are addressing this as well as planning for the thousands of new homes planned for the Derriford and Woolwell areas.”
The scheme is designed to improve links to and from the north of Plymouth, where significant housing growth is planned.
The full scheme is expected to cost £45 million, including £24.9 million in UK Government funding.
Businesses will remain open as usual during the works.