Council welcomes publication of National Highways' M4 to Dorset Coast Study and what it could mean for Wiltshire's roads

The current network makes use of both the A36 and A46, via Bath and then through Wiltshire via Warminster and Salisbury. The study also looks at this network and the potential to adopt an alternative corridor as the main strategic route for the area.

The study highlights this alternative corridor as the A350 from the M4, via Chippenham, Melksham and Westbury, before then moving to the A36 at Warminster via Salisbury and then south. Based on the findings of the study, a programme of road upgrades could then be made to improve this corridor to link the M4 to the Dorset coast.

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."