THE much anticipated £110million South Devon Highway between Newton Abbot and Torbay was officially opened at 4am on Tuesday (15).

Staff from road builder Galliford Try , media representatives and councillors gathered in the cold, small hours to witness the historic moment.

The expected time for opening the 5.5km long road was pencilled in for 2am but by the time last minute stud works had been completed, two more hours had been added before a police escort got under way.

Construction workers, management team and members of Devon and Cornwall Police travelled slowly from Hamelin Way, on the edge of Torquay, towards Penn Inn, Newton Abbot, removing cones and barriers, opening the road in phases.

It did not take long before traffic started forming behind the convoy, waiting for a first taste of the highway.

At the early morning spectacle was Torbay MP Kevin Foster, Cllr John Hart, leader of Devon County Council, and cabinet member for county council Cllr Andrew Leadbetter.

Cllr Hart said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to have been leader of Devon County Council from the beginning to the end of this long-awaited major road project.’

Teignbridge Council provided additional support to Torbay Council, the government and county council. But no Teignbridge representative was invited to the opening.

In a statement issued later, leader of Teignbridge Council, Cllr Jeremy Christophers, said: ‘I am delighted that the patience of the people of south Devon will be rewarded with a road of outstanding quality, a road that connects people and commerce to a brighter future.’

There will be some further work on the road, which will continue into 2016 including landscaping and surfacing the roads that surround the highway.

Construction of the dual carriageway started in autumn 2012, after being granted full approval by the government in May of the same year.