WILTSHIRE Council is beginning work on improving safety at the Lacock crossroads on the A350 between Melksham and Chippenham.
Next week, the council will introduce a signal-controlled turn at the crossroads for vehicles driving away from Melksham and wishing to turn right at the traffic lights into Mons Lane towards Lacock.
The crossroads has been the scene of numerous car crashes in recent years, including one which killed Melksham man Darren Honeyball earlier this year.
The crashes sparked public outrage and a local woman’s petition to change the road layout garnered more than 2,000 signatures.
The council will phase in a number of changes at the junction, including widening the carriageway into the Corsham Road side to create room for a dedicated right turn lane. Work will also include improved road markings at the merge points on the exit from the signals on the A350.
Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for highways, said, “We constantly monitor the collision rates on our roads and address any issues we can. We always have to balance any measures we put in place to ensure we don’t cause unnecessary delays.
“There have been some well-publicised issues at this junction, and this proposed work will help. As always though, I would urge people to drive safely and according to the conditions.”
The situation will be monitored once the work is complete to establish if any further changes to the junction will be beneficial moving forward.