The deadline for nominations has passed and the polls are now open to find a permanent name for Bridgwater’s new link road.
Construction of the not-so-snappily-titled Colley Lane Southern Access Road (CLSAR) by contractors Whitemountain will be completed this autumn and provide a much-needed link between Marsh Lane and Parrett Way.
This will ease congestion along Taunton Road and Broadway as well as opening up brownfield land for development.
Somerset County Council asked the public to help name the new road and were inundated with more than 250 unique nominations. These have been checked for eligibility and whittled down to a shortlist of six.
The final shortlist can be revealed as…
• Brickyard Way (inspired by the historic brickyard on the site of the new road)
• Brunel View Road (inspired by the nearby Somerset Bridge which carries the railway over the River Parrett and was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel)
• Colthurst Road (inspired by the Colthurst Symons brick and tile works which was on the site of the new road and closed in the 1960s)
• Pantile Way (inspired by the Double Roman clay pantile which was made at the brick works)
• Priverno Way (inspired by the Italian town of Priverno – Bridgwater’s twin)
• Squibbers Way (inspired by the famous Bridgwater firework tradition and a key part of Carnival)
Councillor John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Our road naming contest really captured the imagination of the public and we were delighted to receive so many nominations. It was clear people had given it a lot of thought and I’d like to thank everyone who took part.
“It was incredibly difficult choosing just five to go to the public vote and the judges were fairly split, so we’ve gone with six and I think we have six worthy candidates.
“It’s now over to you. Please get involved and have the final say on this new road which will make such a difference for the people of Bridgwater.”
All suggestions received were carefully considered by a panel of judges from Somerset County Council, Sedgemoor District Council, Bridgwater Town Council, North Petherton Town Council and the Bridgwater Mercury.
There are certain criteria which must be met – including that the name is not already taken or easily confused with other addresses. Roads cannot be deemed as advertising and should not relate to any living individual.
This meant several popular entries had to be rejected – including Carnival Way (or other Carnival related names) due to similarities with existing roads, and suggestions linked to Wellworthy’s due to potential confusion with the Wellworthys Business Centre in Parrett Way.
Another popular choice was a tribute to late councillor John Turner – but there is already a Turner Close in Bridgwater named after the former mayor.
To take part in the public vote please visit http://somersetnewsroom.com/2019/08/02/clsarvote/. The poll will close at midnight on Sunday 18 August.
In the meantime, stay up to date with the latest progress reports and photographs of the road’s construction at www.clsar.co.uk or follow @TravelSomerset on Twitter for scheme updates.
• The £18.4m Colley Lane scheme is funded by EDF S106 contributions, housing developer S106 contributions, the DfT Productivity Investment Fund and Somerset County Council’s capital programme.
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