Swindon & Wiltshire News
New highways plan could mean road upgrades through Wiltshire and fewer HGVs in Marlborough
A long-awaited strategic roads plan that aims to establish a new corridor between the M4 and the South Coast ports has been published by National Highways.
The agency’s M4 to Dorset Coast Study identifies the A36 from Salisbury to Warminster, then the A350 from Warminster through West Wiltshire to Chippenham and the M4, as the best way of moving freight traffic from Poole Harbour to the M4.
Wiltshire Council has welcomed the publication of the report, saying it would herald “a programme of road upgrades.”
Parvis Khansari, corporate director – place, said: “We very much welcome this study, which identifies the A350 and then the A36 as the key corridor from the M4 south to Dorset.
“Much of this route runs through Wiltshire, and so it has huge implications for our county’s road network and it now means that highways improvements could be made at several key points in the county, including at Melksham, Westbury, Warminster and Salisbury.
“We will now consider the study’s findings and we will support National Highways to move the study’s recommendations forward and develop a programme of developments to secure further investment into our roads.
“There is a long way to go before we can secure this investment and make these improvements a reality, but this is a vital first positive step in the right direction.
“This corridor is not only essential for regional travel, but these strategic roads also provide vital links between many of our towns and villages here in Wiltshire and so improving them will benefit us all while boosting the economic prospects of our county.
“We welcome safer, more reliable journeys through Wiltshire, between the M4 and the south coast, and look forward to the next steps and unlocking future investment into the region’s transport links and Wiltshire’s highways network.”
The new strategic route could also mean a reduction in HGV traffic through Marlborough and the villages to the north and south of the town. Narrow roads and steep hills on the A338 and A346 lead to frequent congestion and road traffic accidents.
Danny Kruger, MP for East Wiltshire, said: “Our roads are used daily to transport products and services, provide access to jobs and facilitate trade and investment across the country.
“This is right and unavoidable, but there is a very real need to separate local and strategic traffic – large HGVs and freight traffic should not be using local roads as part of this route when it isn’t absolutely necessary.
“The existing strategic route is relatively indirect for journeys between the M4 and Dorset Coast, meaning long journeys or the use of more local roads when this is not necessarily appropriate.
“I’m delighted, after years of campaigning on this subject, that the proposed corridor (see map above) between the M4 and Dorset coast does not intend to route traffic along the A338 and A346, through Marlborough and villages.
“This route is currently a favourite of HGV drivers, causing havoc in our villages that are not designed to accommodate such large vehicles, and leading to huge congestion issues around Marlborough.”
The MP acknowledges, however, that many lorry drivers – especially those heading north from the massive logistics hub at Solstice Park near Amesbury to Swindon and the A419 – will want to use the A346 as the most direct route.
“There is still an opportunity to divert even more non-local traffic away from these roads by engaging with the Satnav companies which work with HGV and freight transport providers to agree that local roads should not be shown as a suitable alternative to the main routes,” said the MP.
