Incredible new £32.3m UK road cutting down journey times by 25% | UK | News
Motorists traveling between the Midlands, Bristol and the south coast will see major improvements to the A350, with more than £32.3 million spent improving the route. Work on the dual carriageway of the picturesque A road near Chippenham, Wiltshire, started in 2025 and is due to be completed later this year.
According to Wiltshire Council, local residents and passing traffic will benefit from reduced traffic on more local routes, as well as “better road safety and better access to jobs in the area”. “Businesses are expected to save time and money as goods can travel more freely thanks to better access to a significant part of the UK’s road transport network,” he added. The Department for Transport said the changes would cut journey times by up to 25%, reduce air pollution and improve road safety.
The scheme is estimated to benefit around 24,000 vehicles a day by helping to ease congestion on the A350 Chippenham Ring Road, which the local authority said would help stop the causes of “peak travel gridlock”.
A statement made by Wiltshire Council about the project said: “Currently, during peak afternoon periods, significant traffic queues form along Bumpers Way as traffic attempts to leave the industrial/business area. This is due to the dominant A350 southbound traffic flow restricting access to the junction from both the A420 and Bumpers Way.”
“To improve this situation, the plan will include traffic sensors on the Buffer Road approach. The sensors will detect stationary traffic and when a large queue is detected, the timing of the traffic signal system at the intersection will be adjusted to help create gaps in traffic flow and facilitate traffic movement outside Buffer Road.
“Sensors will be calibrated on site to alleviate Buffer Road queuing issues and maximize traffic flow in and around the intersection.”
The Department for Transport said the A350 Chippenham Ring Road is “one of the key routes connecting the South West to the Midlands and the South East”, adding that once the work is completed “journey times are expected to be reduced by up to a quarter, 2 sections of the road are expected to be split in two and improvements to the roundabout are expected”.
Future Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “The UK’s roads are the backbone of a growing economy, which is why we’re continuing with these vital plans and helping to deliver our Plan for Change.
“Economic growth has been hindered for too long, so we are giving the green light and investing in vital plans to help people get from A to B more easily, whatever route of travel they choose.”
