Press release

Safety work to start on A303 in Wiltshire

Highways England will start work early next month to resolve flooding issues on a stretch of the A303 in Wiltshire.

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Surface water gathering on a short section of the A303 at Woodbine Hill, near Chicklade, has been creating a risk of aquaplaning for motorists and for the safety of all road users, single lane closures have been in place eastbound and westbound for the past two months.

The single lane eastbound closure has been lifted recently and following investigations and surveys, drainage work and resurfacing will be carried out on both carriageways to allow water to run off more efficiently and drain away from the road surface.

Full overnight closures will be in place, from 8pm to 6am, starting with a 310-metre section of the westbound carriageway from Tuesday, 5 July until the morning of Saturday, 9 July, with one lane closed during the day for safety reasons. Once complete, work will then start on a 530-metre section of the eastbound carriageway from Monday, 11 July.

Highways England project manager Maduabuchi Ani said:

Safety is our top priority and we are working together with our contractors as a matter of urgency to remedy the problem.

We have now identified a solution, construction works are scheduled to commence from Tuesday, 5 July, and will be completed in good time for the start of the school summer holidays.

We are working as quickly as possible to get the A303 back to its full capacity, the work is being carried out at nighttime to keep disruption to a minimum, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Overnight diversion routes will be in place and clearly signposted during the programme of work.

Full details of the diversion routes will be available from the Highways England website.

Travel information is also available by phone from the Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000 and updates will be provided via Twitter.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Published 24 June 2016