A bid to tackle the traffic chaos being caused by a set of temporary traffic lights in a Devon town looks set to be launched.

Drivers in Kingsbridge have bemoaned the set of temporary lights that have been required to manage traffic amid ongoing works to repair a damaged culvert at the bottom of the town’s Fore Street.

At peak times, the temporary lights are causing traffic to back up, and creating queues where there would normally be relatively smooth traffic under normal circumstances.

But from the beginning of May, it looks like a new one-way system will be in place in the town.

From Saturday 2 May, a temporary traffic order will mean drivers wishing to use the A379 from the Plymouth direction will be filtered down the top end of Fore Street, which remains open and is not impacted by the culvert works, into Duncombe Street, Belle Vue Road, Church Street, Bridge Street, and out as normal towards West Charleton, Chillington and Stokenham on the A379.

Drivers coming from the West Charleton, Chillington and Stokenham direction will still be able to use Ilbert Road, which goes past the town’s petrol station, as normal to join the A381 towards Salcombe or A379 Cookworthy Road.

There will be new signage and gate people to assist very large HGVs only through Ilbert Road if needed along with a helpline. The new one way system has been checked and buses will follow the diversion route.

The potential change comes as Kingsbridge has already had to adopt to new routes through the town, with a diversion already in place to access the bottom end of Fore Street.

With the road closed outside the town’s Peacocks store, traffic is being diverted along Mill Street. That road is normally one-way, with vehicles turning left into from Fore Street, but the diversion means traffic now travels in the opposite direction – towards Fore Street – with vehicles turning left on the town’s main thoroughfare.

Efforts have been made to encourage people to the town amid the ongoing works, including offering free car parking after 2pm in the Quay and Fore Street car parks.

The works being undertaken at the bottom of Fore Street have become more complex as further investigation took place. Devon County Council is now installing a 45-metre-long culvert – an underground pipe that allows water to flow under roads and buildings – to replace the existing one that was deemed in such poor condition it needed to be completely replaced.

The county council has said a deep excavation of around 2-2.5 metres below road level is needed for the new culvert, and some of it will need to be excavated by hand due to the volume and position of services under the road, such as utilities.

Councillor Dan Thomas (Liberal Democrat, South Brent & Yealmpton), the cabinet member for highways, said the existing culvert had to be replaced “ otherwise it could lead to more voids under the road which would see utility services and the road collapsing into the culvert”.

“What was initially thought to be a collapsed section of culvert has opened a Pandora’s box of issues beneath Fore Street,” he said.

“We’re sorry for the ongoing disruption but with so many services to contend with and to work around, this project is anything but straightforward.

“Sadly, it’s taking longer than anyone would have wanted, but please bear us.

“Above all else we must take great care to ensure that work is carried out without accidentally creating any additional problems, but the installation of a new culvert is essential.”

Earlier this month, Cllr Thomas said he thought there could be “at least a further 20 weeks on site” due to the complexity of the work – meaning it may not be completed until around mid-August.