IMPROVEMENTS to the A303 into the South-West could happen more quickly after floods paralysed the region’s transport systems.

Proposals to widen the road to help end traffic bottlenecks have been shifted up the political agenda.

Funding could be committed in the autumn rather than next year if the upgrade is fast-tracked.

Department of Transport officials are looking into speeding up improvements following the turmoil caused by the collapse of the rail line at Dawlish.

A feasibility study is set to calculate the cost of dualling single carriageways on the A303.

Somerset County Council continues to lobby the Government for improvements along the route as soon as possible.

A spokeswoman said: “The recent flooding issues...further highlights the transport resilience issues affecting the South-West and clearly demonstrates the need to improve the transport network.”