Lyneham landslip road to be rebuilt in summer 2023

Construction work is expected to begin in summer 2023

The timetable for rebuilding a road which was closed due to a major landslip has been announced.

Wiltshire Council has released plans which would see the B4069 near Lyneham rebuilt in summer 2023.

The road has been shut since February when Storm Eunice caused major damage.

Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: "We're doing all we can to get it rebuilt and reopened as soon as possible."

The council intends to carry out essential ground investigations, including boreholes, trial pits and material testing, this summer, while the ground is relatively stable.

This information will be used to develop the design of a replacement road, along with measures required to reduce the risk of further damage.

Local businesses have said the closure is impacting on trade

Road design should then take place during the autumn, with a view to finalising proposals by the end of the year so that construction work can begin in 2023.

"We know how difficult this road closure is for the local community and businesses," said Dr McClelland.

"However, this is a major engineering project and we have to ensure we take all steps necessary to understand how far the land has slipped, why it has slipped and what steps we can put in place to ensure that it doesn't slip again."

The road has been closed since 17 February

The council anticipates that the new road will be opened in autumn 2023.

The reinstatement of the road will require extensive earth moving operations to remove slipped material and to stabilise the ground before the road can be built.

"We apologise to anyone inconvenienced by this ongoing closure, which has been caused by circumstances beyond our control, and we look forward to the road reopening later in 2023," added Dr McClelland.