Work to upgrade crossing on Exeter Street, Salisbury, to begin later this month

Wiltshire Council will upgrade the pelican crossing on Exeter Street in Salisbury later this month to install a modern puffin crossing and make it safer for pedestrians.

The work will begin on 21 February and will be split into two phases to avoid a clash with resurfacing work at Ivy Street in the city. Phase one will begin on 21 February until 28 February, while phase two will start on 7 March, with all work completed on 18 March.

The improvements will see the replacement of the current signal-controlled crossing, which has come to the end of its life. At the same time, the council will also widen the footway on each side of the road to make it safer for people to use the crossing and improve the drainage. There will still be ample room for two lanes of traffic to pass along Exeter Street once the work has been completed.

To enable the teams to work safely for the duration of the works, there will be temporary traffic signals and a temporary crossing in place during both phases of the work, with a single lane of traffic. Residents may experience some noise and disruption, and some on-street parking may be unavailable, while the work is ongoing.

Cllr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: This equipment has come to the end of its life, so we're taking this opportunity to replace it with a new system, while also improving the drainage and widening the pavement to make it safer for pedestrians to use the crossing.

We particularly want to take this opportunity to make the crossing safer for pupils at Bishop Wordsworth's School, who use the crossing to reach the two campuses, often in large numbers at once.

Once the works are complete, the widening of the pavement will not affect the on-street parking on Exeter Street or the flow of traffic as there will still be sufficient room for two lanes of traffic, just as there is currently.

We apologise for any inconvenience or delays caused by these works and look forward to an improved crossing being in place later in March.