B4069 Lyneham Banks repair works might not start until spring 2024

The B4069 at Lyneham Banks has been closed for just over 12 months after a major landslip caused the road to buckle up to four feet in places, leaving it impassable and “extremely dangerous”.

Last year Wiltshire Council announced that construction was expected to begin in the  summer of 2023 and could be completed by as early as the autumn.

But in a recent newsletter the council admitted design work was still ongoing and construction was not due to begin until spring 2024.

When approached by this paper, the council could not confirm a timescale for the project but revealed design work was ongoing to establish a programme of works.

Work has not begun on the B4069. (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for transport, said: “We are now carrying out the design work to reinstate the road and hope to have a programme of works shortly.

“We apologise for any ongoing inconvenience this causes local people.

“Repairing this road is a huge engineering undertaking, and it is important we establish the full picture – and keep our staff and the public safe – as we seek to build the new road.”

The newsletter claims design work will continue until winter 2023 before procurement can be undertaken.

Work would then begin in the spring of 2024, while a completion date has not been estimated.

A year on from the landslip, the council have not been able to confirm its cause because the site remained unsafe for some time.

But an investigation into the cause of the hazard and the best way to solve it has now been completed and a report is currently being prepared.

The damaged stretch of the B4069 is closed to motorists and pedestrians. (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Thomas added: “Following the major landslip on the B4069 at Lyneham Banks, we have been working to establish the cause and the best way to repair the road.

“This has taken some time because we had to wait until the landslip had settled to make it safe for teams to inspect the site.

“We have been monitoring ground movements in the area to find a suitable window to access the site safely and undertake intrusive surveys, and we were able to begin these investigations in late autumn 2022.

“These site investigations were completed just prior to Christmas 2022, and the ground investigation report is currently being prepared.

“We have installed several long-term monitoring points to help us keep an eye on ground movements.

“This will help our overall understanding of the Lyneham Banks area, and also enable us to understand why the land moved, which in turn will help us to design the new road”.

The closure from the Dauntsey Lock side. (Image: Newsquest)

The council added that the total cost of repairing the road would not be known until more assessment and design work had been undertaken.

But in March 2022, former council member for transport Dr Mark McClelland estimated that the bill could run into the millions.

He said: "It could cost hundreds of thousands or up into the millions to fix.

"There is significant damage to the road. It's not something that can be resolved in a matter of days or weeks." 

The damaged section of the B4069 is currently closed off to both motorists and pedestrians due to the dangerous nature of the ground.

Meanwhile motorists are diverted through Bradenstoke, causing businesses which remain open to suffer a loss of footfall and passing trade.

The diversion at Clack Hill remains one way, meaning traffic coming towards Lyneham from the direction of Dauntsey Lock is being forced into a much longer detour.

Cllr Thomas added that traffic surveys were carried out in December, to establish the impact of these restrictions, and the council are continuing to monitor traffic management in the area.