Work on the A350 at Plough Crossroads, at Kington St Michael, to begin in October

Wiltshire Council is undertaking essential work to refurbish and upgrade the traffic signals on the A350 dual carriageway north of Chippenham at Plough Crossroads, Kington St Michael, from 3 October until 5 November.

The work will see the lights upgraded with the latest traffic signal technology, which will allow for remote monitoring and adjustments to the signal timings to effectively manage traffic flows. At the same time, the streetlights in the area will be upgraded to LEDs, the junction area will be resurfaced, and new road markings and road studs will be installed on the length of the 2.5-mile dual carriageway between the Malmesbury Road roundabout at Chippenham and the M4 Junction 17 roundabout.

For the duration of the works, there will be lane closures in place on the A350 dual carriageway, and to keep the traffic moving on the main route, the junctions to both Kington Langley and Kington St Michael will be closed, with diversions in place. There will also be a temporary speed limit of 30mph in place in the area full period. The closure of the side roads will enable the A350 to remain open and free of traffic signals for the majority of the work. Night-time road closures will be in operation for the resurfacing work, so people should expect delays in the area.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "We apologise for any inconvenience or delays caused by these works, but this is an essential upgrade to the traffic lights, as the current signals have been in place for more than 20 years and are no longer fit for purpose, and maintaining equipment of this age is becoming increasingly difficult.

"It's important that we minimise delays on the main A350 route for the duration of the works, and it's for this reason that we've taken the difficult decision to close the junctions to Kington Langley and Kington St Michael, with diversions in place.

"Resurfacing the road and installing LED street lighting at the same time makes good sense and is good use of our resources, and in doing so we are making the road safer for all users and avoiding the need for further closures in future years, helping to minimise disruption to nearby residents and highway users.

"We are committed to investing in Wiltshire's roads, and this upgrade project is part of our £22.9m programme of works this financial year."

To find out more about these works and the diversions, and to find out more about road works and closures in Wiltshire, people should go to Roadworks and related information.