SALTASH, Trematon and Landrake Councillor Martin Worth has been elected as the new joint chairman of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Committee.

With the recent start of a major resurfacing project on the bridge causing a headache for local people, and toll increases being discussed over the coming two months, Cllr Worth said it was “quite a time to join the committee”.

“Taking the role as joint chair is something I consider a privilege, representing all our local residents crossing the River Tamar by both bridge and ferry,” he said.

“Having travelled across the Tamar Bridge on the day it opened in a pram, then aged 18, opening my own music shop in Plymouth and commuting across every day, I know how important it is to our lives and economy. It’s our bridge, we should be proud of it, but understand it needs to be maintained.

“It’s quite a time to take on the business of Tamar Crossings but I approach the task as a critical friend of both the management and residents who I represent. Have we considered every action we are taking, to have the best result for all concerned? But also understanding we are not going to please everyone all of the time.

“An example of a current question raised by some residents is 24hr working to minimise delays during the resurfacing. It’s been considered, but is not preferable, due to the Health and Safety of the workforce and the local residents underneath in Cornwall and Devon. At night, the noise amplified by the steel deck and shape of the bridge within the still air of the Tamar Valley would be unbearable. The near daily updates now posted to social media, local councillors and the Chamber of Commerce are showing improvements every day.

“As a team, we are now going into a round of workshop sessions to consider what we are learning everyday about how the works are progressing and using the facts gained from the precise traffic management information which is showing improvements.”

Meanwhile chairman of Saltash Chamber of Commerce Sarah Martin felt that things had improved over the weeks since the work started.

"It’s safe to say that the first two weeks of the bridge resurfacing project came at the worst possible time for the town - especially our Fore Street retailers who had just reopened in line with the government’s roadmap and were beginning to recover from months of restrictions," she said.

“The congestion and utter chaos that closing the cantilevers simultaneously bought led to a lot of anger especially among those caught up in the queues trying to leave the town.

“That said, week three and the situation on our roads is a lot calmer. The Bridge management team has worked to rectify the issues, as well as people changing their habits to suit the road works and avoid congesting the town.

“We hope that is a sign of things to come as we move into the summer months - and that the works remain on target for an end date in October. In the meantime, Saltash is very much ‘open for business’ and residents and visitors shouldn’t shy away from visiting the town with our vast array of shops and cafés.”