Rain leads to £42m bypass delay

About 21,000 vehicles a day travel through Dobwalls

Heavy rainfall over the summer has led to a six-week delay in the construction of a £42m bypass in Cornwall.

The Highways Agency says the excessive rain hindered their task of moving large amounts of earth for construction of the Dobwalls bypass.

The new route is scheduled to be completed by autumn 2008.

Once it opens, the bypass is expected to take 90% of the traffic that uses the A38 through Cornwall away from the village of Dobwalls.

About 21,000 vehicles a day currently go through Dobwalls, with the number increasing by about 20% during the tourist season.

The bypass will take traffic to the north on a 1.5 mile (3km) stretch of dual carriageway.

The need for a bypass was first identified in the 1960s and was finally given approval last August after a public inquiry.