EXPECTED upcoming further delays on the A350 has caused Melksham residents concern.
In our last issue we explained that there are plans to close the A36 for three months in September which will cause extra traffic through Melksham on the A350 – a road that is already susceptible to traffic problems.
Melksham resident Gary Jardine has contacted Wiltshire Council and in his letter says, “I am very concerned about the consequences of this possible diversion. I did notice that on the council’s website it doesn’t mention the impact on the A350. Perhaps you consider it irrelevant, after all the council doesn’t seem to think that this is a primary route to the south coast, I’m sure the Highways Agency would disagree.
“This was a busy road before the Aldi supermarket and MacDonald’s and then a couple of years later permission was granted for an Asda supermarket. And what about a thousand new homes to the east of Melksham, I suppose that wasn’t going to have an impact? It’s not just the people of Beanacre that have to put up with the excessive traffic, it’s everyone living in and around Melksham.
“I would be interested to know what the metro count is to date, my guess is that it would be somewhere in the region of 40,000 vehicles per day. The road wasn’t designed for this amount of traffic, hence all the peacemeal repairs that take place and the road is still not pothole free.
“I wonder if you ever take time to think about the effects a road like this has on residents living nearby. For instance we have air pollution, noise pollution and damage to property.
“The letter that I received from the Department for Transport stipulates that the government are putting more than three billion pounds of investment into the road network. I would estimate the cost of a Melksham Eastern Bypass to be in the region of say £40million give or take, but this would only be a small percentage of three billion. I would like to think that you have got a workable strategy that you are keeping close to your chest otherwise all things considered, we are all in for one big shock.”
The closure of the A36 starts in September and is likely to last three months.
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