A3102 Safer Road Scheme

The council has been awarded £6.9m to help us make the A3102 in Wiltshire safer for road users.

The improvements are being funded by the Department for Transport from the Safer Roads Fund.

The route was assessed by the Road Safety Foundation as part of an analysis of the accident record of roads nationally. The A3102 was identified as having a poor accident record.

The scheme is intended to improve road safety and reduce the severity of collisions.

The scheme comprises packages of measures including better road markings, improved signing, and highway improvements to reduce the risk and severity of collisions along the route between M4 Junction 16 and Melksham.

The Safer Roads Fund has seen £100m committed nationally to improve road safety and, together, the schemes are set to prevent around 1,450 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years. The current £47.5m investment programme (including A3102) should prevent around 760 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years, with a financial benefit to society of £420m, in addition to saving much heartache to friends and families that would have been affected, according to Road Safety Foundation analysis.

Work on the A3102 began in December 2023 with some initial vegetation clearance.

Work will be undertaken throughout the year in phases, with the improvement of the larger junctions likely to be carried out towards the end of the programme in 2025.

Invariably, there will be some delays along the A3102 during the works. We will be working closely with delivery partners to minimise delays as much as possible.

There are packages of work along the route including visibility improvements, new road markings and signing at key locations along the route with identified safety issues. There will be junction improvements including traffic signals at key junctions and a new roundabout.

The work will be carried out by specialist contractors under the Council's existing term maintenance contracts and will be integrated with their other work in the county to keep costs down.

The proposed junction improvements are at:

• A3102/Stoneover Lane, Royal Wootton Bassett
• A3102/Stanier Road, Calne
• A3102/A342 near Bromham
• A3102/A342 near Sandy Lane Chippenham

The details of the junction improvements are being developed for implementation in 2025.

Where appropriate improved crossing facilities at side roads will be incorporated including dropped kerbs or raised tables. Facilities for crossing the road will also be upgraded or included where feasible.

No. The funding for this scheme cannot be used for maintenance work, but there is a separately funded programme of surfacing work across the county.

The timing of implementation of the various work packages will be integrated with other maintenance works and public utilities works being planned on the route. Other schemes including the proposed Royal Wootton Bassett to Swindon Cycleway will be considered while preparing the designs.

Most of the works can be carried out under the council's powers as local highway authority, but some Traffic Regulation Orders may be required in connection with traffic signals or as temporary measures for safety reasons.

Traffic counts have taken at the junctions in order to ensure that any proposed alterations have adequate capacity as well as being safe.

Most of the works are within the existing road, but where vegetation clearance is required, this has been carried out outside the bird nesting season, and consultations with specialists will be undertaken regarding the junction improvements when these have been developed in more detail.

The work proposed this year is mainly signing, lining and enhanced maintenance works which are normal highway operations and not usually the subject of public consultation. However, the proposed junction improvements are likely to be the subject of consultations in due course, especially in connection with any traffic orders.

No. The current proposals are being carried out by the local highway authority and do not need planning approvals.

The proposals are being developed to keep within the budget and the various elements are being prioritised accordingly. Some cost estimates are still being finalised as the potential cost of diverting public utilities apparatus may be considerable and could determine what is feasible.

Where vegetation has encroached into visibility splays at junction this is being cut back where feasible to improve the view of oncoming traffic.

Signs and road markings will be improved or upgraded at key locations where particular safety issues have been identified.

Works are likely to be completed in stages through 2024 with the final works taking place in 2025. The safety along the route will continue to be monitored and changes will be made as required.

The Safer Roads Fund has seen £100m committed nationally to improve road safety and, together, the schemes are set to prevent around 1,450 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years. The latest £47.5m investment programme should prevent around 760 fatal and serious injuries over the next 20 years, with a financial benefit to society of £420m, in addition to saving much heartache to friends and families that would have been affected, according to Road Safety Foundation analysis.

The Department for Transport's Safer Roads Fund was set up to support safety improvements to the 50 highest risk local A-road sections in England. The road sections were identified using traffic flow and accident data, which were assessed by the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) to establish an overall risk rating.