Since the scheme was first announced in 2012 the construction of the A380 has been known as the South Devon Link Road project. Now the new name of the A380 has been selected at a special panel meeting today (Wednesday 8 July).

The official name for the road will be the South Devon Highway.

Devon County Council and Torbay Council, along with Galliford Try - the contractors responsible for constructing the road – launched the competition earlier this year asking the community to suggest ideas.

A panel comprising representatives from Devon County Council, Torbay Council, Teignbridge District Council, Newton Abbot Town Council and Kingskerswell Parish Council selected the name at a meeting last week from over 1000 suggestions.

The two winners will be invited to attend the formal opening ceremony of the new road when it opens later this year.

Torquay Road: the road that has been used by thousands of motorists on journeys between Newton Abbot and Torbay, through Kingskerswell, will receive a new official road number. This will be confirmed by Devon County Council at a later date.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “This is quite literally a defining moment for the South Devon Link Road or South Devon Highway as it will be known.

“We considered all the suggestions carefully: English Riviera Expressway was one of the finalists, but was disregarded as there is a similarly named road in the area and we wanted to avoid confusion. Other finalists included the Great Western Way and Lonsee Way.

"We wanted a name that conveyed a very strong sense of geographical location and represented the joining up of communities: we think the South Devon Highway demonstrates this."

Mayor of Torbay, Gordon Oliver said: “The South Devon Highway is now firmly on the map! This road is a crucial artery for the Torbay area and we look forward both to the completion of the project and the increased prosperity it will bring to the wider South Devon area.”

Cllr Jeremy Christophers, Leader of Teignbridge District Council said: “After taking all suggestions into consideration, this was by far the most popular. After all the hard work that has gone into securing the finance and then building the road, we are looking forward to watching the new road signs appear.”

Chris Hastings, Project Director at Galliford Try, said: “We are pleased to have been part of this important landmark in South Devon. For all the employees working on the project it’s great to be involved in the legacy that is the South Devon Highway which will open on time or earlier.“

The official name will be used on signposts, maps and the Internet - it will become the authorised, formal name used when describing the road.