Agenda item

The update will include:

1.    To receive a presentation on progress towards repairing the B4069 at Lyneham Banks.

2.    A written update about active travel.

3.    A written update about highway maintenance.

A link to further information about the Royal Wootton Bassett to Swindon Cycleway can be found here.

Highways Engineer Jack Francis, from Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation about the progress being made towards repairing the B4069 at Lyneham Banks. Points included:

·       Lyneham Banks had been closed since February 2022, when a 120-metre section of the B4069 suffered a catastrophic failure caused by a major landslip.

·       Ground investigations were made in 2022 to monitor the slippage and establish the best way to repair the site.

·       A significant drainage network had been installed in the surrounding fields to help to stabilise the slopes. 

·       The road was being reinstated on the same alignment as the original damaged section. In July 2024 the old road along the 120-metre stretch was cleared and the route for the replacement road was carved down to a depth of three metres.

·       In August and September, the foundations for the new road, known as the pile mat, were installed.

·       600mm diameter piles, going 12 metres deep, started being installed in October to create a 108-metre retaining wall along the length of the road failure. The piles were installed very quickly with concrete being poured around reinforcing steel bars. Nodes were installed into the concrete to make sure that it had cured correctly.

·       Concrete anchors were then installed at 45-degree angles to the retaining wall to provide additional strength.

·       In December, additional drainage works were carried out and a capping beam was placed on top of the 12-metre-deep piles, which would be the only part of the retaining piles that would be visible above ground.

·       The capping beams were waterproofed in January 2025 and the kerb lines and gullies were installed. As of February 2025, tarmac had started to be laid, and the structure was beginning to look like a road.

·       A number of patching repairs had been completed to other sections of the road that suffered lower levels of damage.

·       Octavius, the contractor for the works, had also undertaken a number of community projects to add social value, such as organising litter picks and attending a careers fair.

·       It was anticipated that the road would reopen in April 2025, although further communications would be released via the newsletter.

·       Work on surrounding roads that had seen an increase in traffic, due to the closure of the B4069, would be undertaken once Lyneham Banks had reopened.

·       The priority for the project was reopening the road at Lyneham Banks, although further work on the slope below the B4069 would take place after the road had reopened.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The Area Board thanked the engineer for his update and welcomed the progress that had been made towards reopening the road.

·       In response to queries about whether there would be a weight limit imposed on the road, the engineer explained that there was previously an 18.5-ton limit and that a limit would be reinstated. A signing study for the wider area was underway, considering the route and the weight limits. It would not be possible to implement a 7.5-ton limit as there were no weak bridges on the site.

·       The structure had been designed with a 120-year lifespan and the surrounding drainage had been designed to be low maintenance. The drains on the road itself would receive regular maintenance.

·       When asked about the stability of the join between the new road surface and the existing road, the engineer confirmed that the road had been designed by geotechnical teams with this issue in mind. He noted that the structure would be regularly monitored.

·       The cost of the project to repair the 120-metre section, including the piled retaining wall, was not expected to exceed £5 million.

·       Cllr Nic Puntis, Portfolio Holder for Flooding at Wiltshire Council, explained that modern drains were designed to be self-cleaning when they received high volumes of water. The engineer added that there would be cutoff drains which would ensure that water would be diverted to other parts of the drainage system if water went above a certain level. 

·       Shendie Green from Lyneham and Bradenstoke Parish Council asked about plans to repair Clack Hill, a diversionary one-way route used during the closure. In reply, the highway engineer explained that localised repairs would be undertaken to Clack Hill in the near future to ensure that it was serviceable, and it was anticipated that more extensive surfacing repairs would be completed later in the year.

·       The Chairman noted that she was keen that there was an opportunity for residents to walk on the road before it was reopened to traffic.

Written answers to pre-submitted questions are also listed below:

·       The installation of a cycleway was not within the scope of this project. Any installation of a cycleway along the current alignment of the B4069 would have required significant land purchase and ground engineering in order to provide a suitable cycleway that meets current requirements. This in turn would have cost significantly more than the available budget and would have also led to an extended delivery period whilst design and land purchase elements were undertaken.

·       Wiltshire Council would be consulting with the local parish councils shortly around the temporary traffic management measures including the current Clack Hill one way system.

·       It was Wiltshire Council’s intention to purchase the land south of the B4069 in order to demolish the existing structures and regrade the land. Unfortunately, an agreement had not been reached with the landowner. The project has been delivered around the structures to enable the road to be re-opened.

·       New hedgerows would be planted within adjacent fields and along the highway corridor, with a wildflower mix being applied where appropriate.

·       There were no current plans to create a public access area. Footpath LYNE31 runs to the south of the site and provides a public walkway in the vicinity of the scheme.

The Chairman referred the Area Board to the following information about active travel and highway investment included in the agenda pack:

·       Royal Wootton Bassett to Swindon cycle scheme, pg. 49

·       Extracts from the Highways and Transport newsletter, pg. 51-53

·       Highways investment press release, pg.55-56

·       Bobcat machine, pg.58

·       Highways defect dashboard, pg. 59-61

She highlighted that the planned cycle route between Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon was still awaiting funding and National Highways were requesting that Wiltshire Council made a substantial financial contribution. Cllr Steve Bucknell noted that there was a large amount of new housing going up between the two towns and said that he would welcome Section 106 funding from developers being used to contribute towards the scheme.

The Chairman noted that a meeting would be held in Royal Wootton Bassett about active travel the following day.