Kingsteignton Bypass 1973 -1976

The first bypass for Kingsteignton was proposed in the 1930s with a route chosen along Football Lane, Longford Lane, Ware Cross, Vicarage Hill with a cut through to Newton Road  along what is now Greenhill Way. This route was superceded  in the early 1950s with a westerly route suggested from Newton Road cutting across Homers Lane behind St Michael's Road then across Broadway Road, through the former clay-workings at Newcross to join Five Lanes via a widened Strap Lane. This remained the chosen route until  1965 when an amended route taking the road from near Abbrook Farm to Sandygate swinging east behind Sandygate Pottery and Eagle House to join the A380 on Coombe Hill was proposed. A year later this route ranked as 3rd in the DCC list of priorities for new roads.  Thus, it came as somthing of a surprise when just acouple of years later a completely new easterly route was chosen stretching from near Eagle Farm to cut through Golvers Hill and on to Hackney before crossing the Teign Estuary to reach Penn Inn. Despite objections on environmental grounds Ministerial approval was granted in 1972.  The contract for the work was awarded to Peter Lind & Co, the company which built the Post Office Tower in London. Earthmoving and excavations were sub-contracted to F T White & Co and Constable Hart and Demarok Ltd was tasked with blasting operations.

Work started in 1973 which was to change the face of Kingsteignton forever. Along its route 1¼  million cubic metres of material had to be excavated.  The "cut & fill" methods used  meant that much of the waste was used in the building of embankments and infilling valleys.  The final cost of the by-pass, originally estimated at £5 million, soared to a staggering £9¼  million by the time of its completion, due in part to the unforeseen difficult rock formations encountered along the route. The operation was the biggest road scheme ever undertaken by Devon County Council. By the time of its completion there had been two fatalities. One, at the site of the Ware Barton roundabout was caused by a driver failing to see the traffic controls due to the clouds of  dust created by the heavy plant working on the route. The vehichle was crushed under a gigantic earth-moving lorry.  The other involved a young boy, Jeremy King, playing in his front garden in Longford Lane, being struck by a rock blasted from the cutting over a quarter of a mile away!  There is a seat in memory of Jeremy beside Kingsteignton Swimming Pool.

With all the inconvenience and tragedies suffered it is perhaps not surprising that the villagers held a week of celebrations when it was all over. A pageant of local history was performed in the Parish Church wherein a plaque was placed to commemorate the event.

In 1973 the re-routed A38 dual carriageway to Plymouth was opened.  That scheme also involved the placing of a new road through part of the parish near Bellamarsh along the course of the old Teign Valley Railway Line.  This, along with the A380 and the main rail line, means that three of South West England's most important arteries of communication pass through the parish of Kingsteignton.