Wiltshire Council are working with National Highways to improve congestion on Salisbury A36

Wiltshire Council is working with National Highways to help improve traffic issues and reduce congestion on the A36 in Salisbury.

The A36 is part of the strategic road network, which is managed and maintained by National Highways, and according to the council, the two parties are in regular contact to improve traffic issues on the road.

National Highways, in partnership with the council, is prioritising Southampton Road and College Roundabout, and is currently working on an Option Assessment Report (OAR) for this part of the road, which will look at the various solutions to improve traffic flows and reduce congestion.

It has identified a number of improvement options, and is testing these using traffic modelling to identify potential improvement options in the area, and to establish their effectiveness. The two authorities are also undertaking traffic surveys to provide up-to-date traffic flows data.

Once the report has been completed, National Highways will report its findings and recommendations to the council, before undertaking further feasibility, value for money and design work before moving the scheme forward.

As part of the same plan to reduce traffic issues in the city, the council has decided to pause its Salisbury Junction Improvements project, which looks to improve Exeter Street Roundabout, Harnham Gyratory and Park Wall junction – three junctions that are part of the council’s highways network.

Public consultation on the plans in July 2021 raised concerns about the signalisation of Exeter Street Roundabout, and this feedback, along with DfT’s recent Spending Review, means that the council has decided to look at a different, improved scheme for Salisbury, while still focusing on other major highways projects in Wiltshire.

The council will now look at other ways to improve these key junctions in Salisbury and will bring forward a new scheme, which will better reflect the results of the public consultation.

Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member for Transport, commented, “We’re committed to improving the traffic situation in Salisbury, and we’re pleased to be working in partnership with National Highways to do this.

“These changes won’t happen overnight, but they show great progress in improving congestion on the A36 in the city for the long term.

“As well as these A36 improvements, we have also decided to pause our Salisbury Junction scheme following public feedback to the consultation. This project looked at junctions that form part of our highways network, rather than those controlled by National Highways.

“We won’t now be taking forward this project in its current form. Instead, we will be looking to proceed with a different scheme that better reflects the views of residents and draws on different funding streams. We hope to have more information on this later this year.”

Neil Winter, A36 Route Manager for National Highways, said, “As part of our continuing commitment to improving congestion on the A36 through Salisbury, we’re currently developing a number of schemes to achieve this.

“Our priority is Southampton Road and College Roundabout, and we’ve identified several options which we will be assessed in terms of their effectiveness to improve congestion, delays and journey time reliability.

“Building on schemes we’ve already undertaken on the A36 in Salisbury, we’re working closely with Wiltshire Council and we’ll be undertaking traffic surveys shortly to help inform any future interventions and to ensure they are feasible and fit for purpose.”

Image from Google Maps Street View.