A Wiltshire MP says a newly-proposed HGV corridor along the A350 ‘can't work’ without plans for a bypass for Westbury.
The M4 to Dorset Coast Strategic Study was launched by National Highways in 2020 after a need for a main strategic route used by HGVs and freight traffic connecting the Dorset Coast with the M4 was identified.
At the time, National Highways said concerns about the existing strategic route, which follows the A36 and A46 via Salisbury, Warminster, and Bath, had been raised.
HGV use of the A338 and A346 up to the M4 through Marlborough and the surrounding villages has been contentious due to the impact on traffic in the town and road safety fears in the villages.
One of the proposed routes for strategic traffic would see heavy vehicles travel via the A36 from Salisbury to Warminster and then along the A350 past Westbury, Melksham, and Chippenham.
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The proposed A350 route has provoked criticism from residents concerned that the report merely suggests moving a problem with heavy traffic elsewhere.
The study has also sparked a reaction from politicians, with South West Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison stating that plans for a Westbury bypass would be essential if the proposals were to work.
Mr Murrison told the Times that the route would be unworkable unless major mitigations are included in plans, and said he is pushing government ministers for a meeting to discuss the next steps.
Mr Murrison said: “The long-awaited Dorset Coast to M4 Strategic Study puts the A36 and A350 as its preferred route but that can’t work unless Westbury and Yarnbrook are bypassed to the west of the town.
“I have asked ministers for a meeting to discuss their next steps since unless a bypass is baked in the proposals are a complete non-starter.”
Although National Highways’ study identifies the corridor, it makes no specific recommendations for what would be needed to improve the route or introduce mitigating measures such as bypasses.
It is understood that the process would likely take many years and would have to attract sufficient funding from government before it could be realised.
Wiltshire Council said it welcomed the study, but did not remark on any proposals for a bypass to ease traffic in the town centre.
Parvis Khansari, corporate director at 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.
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"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."
Responding to the Wiltshire Times earlier in March, a spokesperson for National Highways said: “As part of a study into road connectivity between the M4 and the Dorset coast, we have recommended a route which will deliver more reliable journey times, bring economic benefits, improve safety for road users and reduce the impact of traffic on local communities.
“This will now be reviewed by the Government and is subject to decision made as part of the third Road Investment Strategy and Spending Review.”
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