FED-UP motorists faced even more A38 delays this week following a new problem in the Saltash Tunnel.
Chaos quickly kicked in last Friday when the electronic overhead lane control system failed.
At peak times traffic travelling towards Plymouth, instead of being able to go though the tunnel, had to turn left at the tunnel roundabout to get on to the Tamar Bridge's cantilever lane.
At any time throughout the system's breakdown, only one tunnel lane has been available each to East and West traffic.
Frustration was building up all week, along with the huge tailbacks on the Cornish side during the mornings, and again on the Plymouth side in the evenings, as motorists queued along the A38 trying to head home.
Electrical engineers responsible for the tunnel, Henry Williams, worked flat out around the clock, until 12.05 am on Thursday morning to get the system working again.
Continuing work on the Tamar Bridge, has also played its part in this week's jams. One lane of the main deck is closed for works each day between 9.30am - 3.30pm, and when that reopens, the normal practice is for two lanes to be open in the tunnel for traffic travelling West. However safety rules say two adjacent lanes of traffic cannot travel in the opposite direction to another lane of traffic with no overhead signs, so traffic travelling in both directions was affected.
Mike Houghton, directional traffic supervisor described the traffic buildups at the weekend in particular, as 'severe', but said everything was done to try and get things back to normal. Saturday had been particularly bad late in the afternoon, when due to the extra pressure of Plymouth Argyle playing at home, there had been two solid lanes of traffic trying to get out of the city, jammed from the main filter route at Weston Mill on to the A38 and all the way to the bridge.
The bridge contractors are now on target to complete by January 2002, or slightly earlier if weather conditions are favourable, but the relief from travelling difficulties on the main route in and out of Cornwall will be short lived.
In late October Cornwall Highways Agency will be moving into the tunnel to carry out some major renovation works. Tunnel Co-ordinator, Mr Steve Ewing of Cornwall County Council, says the work is likely to take at least six months to complete.
'We will be trying not to close off the tunnel to traffic completely' he said. 'Instead we are aiming to keep one lane open while the work is in progress, to be regulated in accordance with the main traffic flows at peak times'.
l Drivers are also facing delays on the A38 near Landrake where work is taking place on the rock face alongside the road.