EXTRA cash is on its way to Wiltshire early in the new year to give transport and road schemes a boost.

A total of £16.58m is coming from the government to help move forward a wide range of road and transport projects all over the county.

However, in Salisbury there is disappointment, because there is no certainty any of the cash is going to the city's new park-and-ride sites for Wilton and Downton Road.

In a bid to push forward with two major new roads and clarify the park-and-ride sites position, meetings are being arranged early in January.

County and district transport bosses will be meeting the Government Office of the South West in a bid to move forward funding for the Wylye Valley relief road and the Codford to Heytesbury improvement.

Another meeting will bid for extra cash for Salisbury's integrated transport scheme.

The £16.58 windfall is being split, with £11.58m being set aside for road maintenance throughout the county and bridge strengthening schemes.

The remaining £4.65m will be spent on road safety projects, integrated transport schemes and traffic management.

A spokesman for Wiltshire county council said the Government Office is waiting for the A36 Study to be published before making final decisions on the A36 Codford to Heytesbury section and the A36 Wylye Valley relief road.

Salisbury district council portfolio holder for transport and the environment Dennis Brown, said: "I am disappointed that the government has not yet given the final decision on our efforts to get extra funding towards the two next park-and-ride sites as well as several other important traffic management schemes. We are no further advanced really. We do need to know whether the two sites have to be paid for within the original £13m package or whether extra cash is coming."

Mr Brown said the tender for the Wilton park-and-ride site has already been accepted and he did not know how long the contractor will hold the price.

Mr Brown said: "Unless we get extra funding we shall only be able to do the Wilton and Downton Road park-and-ride sites and nothing else. This is not ideal."