Key Devizes town centre roads to close as roadworks begin

Phase one of a £1 million scheme to upgrade Devizes’ water network will begin on Monday, September 4, and will see several busy town centre roads shut to traffic for over a month.

This will begin with the closure of Monday Market Street and its junction with Sidmouth Street and Sheep Street until October 27, according to the council’s traffic map, while roadworks will remain in place on Sheep Street until December 8.

The rest of phase one will include the closure of Bridewell Street from October 23 to December 22 and the installation of multi-way signals on Long Street from November 27 until January 19, 2024.

This will be followed by three more phases, replacing over two kilometres of pipes, that will close different routes around the town until April 2025.

Town councillors raised concerns about the impact of road closures when the plans were revealed but were assured works would accommodate residents.

The junction of Sheep Street, Sidmouth Street, Maryport Street and Monday Market Street will shut to through traffic (Image: Google Maps)

Cllr Jonathan Hunter recently said: “In all the smaller arteries around town it’s going to be a challenging few months and two years.”

The huge scheme will upgrade pipes carrying water to properties throughout the town by replacing cast-iron mains with plastic pipes.

Wessex Water say these improvements will “ensure a more reliable water supply and reduce the risk of leaks”.

Earlier this year, project manager Jamie Prangle insisted that disruption would be kept to a minimum by working with those affected by road closures.

This included delaying the roadworks’ start date until after the Devizes Carnival on September 2.

He said: “We recognise that this is a major investment in improving the water supply throughout Devizes and we’re working closely with customers, businesses and Wiltshire Council to ensure that any disruption is kept to a minimum as much as possible, including delaying the start of our work to accommodate the Devizes Carnival. 

“Where possible during the scheme, we will be keeping roads open to through traffic and working with local people to ensure their access is unhindered but where we do need to shut routes, we will be completing the work quickly and safely and reopening them as we finish. 

“We’ve been meeting with and writing to customers and businesses directly and this will continue throughout the course of the scheme and we’re also inviting them to come and meet with us to view the scheme plans and answer any questions they may have.’’