EXPECTED delays on the A350, which will occur later in the year, has led to a local resident accusing Wiltshire Council of not caring about the consequences of the increased traffic.
There are plans to close the A36 for three months in September which will force extra traffic through Westbury on the already busy A350.
Gary Jardine has written to Wiltshire Council saying, “I am very concerned about the consequences of this possible diversion.
“I did notice that on the council’s website it doesn’t mention the impact on the A350. Perhaps you consider it irrelevant, after all the council doesn’t seem to think that this is a primary route to the south coast, I’m sure the Highways Agency would disagree.
“I would be interested to know what the metro count is to date, my guess is that it would be somewhere in the region of 40,000 vehicles per day. The road wasn’t designed for this amount of traffic, hence all the peacemeal repairs that take place and the road is still not pothole free. I wonder if you ever take time to think about the effects a road like this has on residents living nearby. For instance we have air pollution, noise pollution and damage to property.
“The letter that I received from the Department for Transport stipulates that the government are putting more than three billion pounds of investment into the road network.
“I would like to think that you have got a workable strategy that you are keeping close to your chest, otherwise all things considered we are all in for one big shock.”
The closure of the A36 starts in September and is described as likely to last three months.