From next Monday, between junctions 14 and 15, the eastbound carriageway of the M4 will be shut for a series of nights while resurfacing takes place. Over the course of six(!) weeks, National Highways will be fully closing the eastbound carriageway between 9pm and 6am on the following nights:
Exit from Membury Services will remain open:
- Monday 27 January
- Thursday 30 January
- Thursday 6 February
- Monday 3 March for two nights
Entry and exit from Membury Services will be closed:
- Friday 31 January
- Friday 2 February
- Monday 10 February for five nights
- Monday 24 February for four nights
- Wednesday 5 March
- Thursday 6
- Friday 7 March
Amongst these dates, there will be regular night time lane closures, but with one or two lanes remaining open. Please check before you leave.
Marlborough, unfortunately, is going to take the brunt of the HGV traffic during this period. HGVs are to be routed south along the A346 to Marlborough, and onto Hungerford along the A4. Smaller traffic will be diverted, via the A4192, through Aldbourne and Chilton Foliat, and again on to Hungerford. Satnav will, of course, lead to weeks of frustration and traffic chaos around Marlborough, as everyone tries to get about their daily lives.
Wiltshire Councillors have fought this hard and had hoped to route all of the traffic north of the M4. My thanks to our Councillors for making the case for our towns and villages to be spared the potential chaos. Unfortunately, this was not deemed possible by the powers that be. However, I am reassured that Wiltshire Council will do what they can to mitigate the worst of the effects, as best they can.
We also continue to wait for the results of the M4 to Dorset Coast study which will help those in charge to define appropriate routes for the appropriate traffic. Both Wiltshire Council and I have been asking for this, I am ashamed to admit, for years! This study has the potential to help with a lot of the traffic issues we face here in Wiltshire by investing in strategic routes such as the A303, A350 and A34. Conservative Councilors locally, have pushed Wiltshire and Marlborough Town Councils undertake the Marlborough Congestion study which showed that the A346 will be at capacity before 2040. We badly need investment into our roads to make them safer, and fit for the future.
Unfortunately, this also comes at a time when concerns are growing about the A346, itself. The accident rate does appear higher than usual, and having been in contact with our PCC, Phil Wilkinson, earlier in the year, I understand that Wiltshire Police's Road Safety Officer has requested a traffic survey at either end of the road to help them ascertain what is happening.
I am also looking into diversionary routes more generally to see what can be done to push back when these diversions cause chaos in our villages. Whilst they are (technically) spared this time, villages like Baydon and Chiseldon, are often left gridlocked when M4 diversions are in place or when motorway traffic is bad. As is often the case, getting information from large, slow moving, government agencies can take a while, but we will keep pushing.
The ever efficient, AI driven satnav will, no doubt, see all manner of ludicrous routes being suggested to unknowing travellers, and evening and nighttime journeys may take a little longer than usual, so please leave a little extra time and care. Unfortunately, this situation has been pushed upon us, so lets try to get through it as painlessly as we can!
