Britain's 'wonkiest road' reopens to drivers

A Wiltshire road that was dubbed Britain's wonkiest road has reopened today (Wednesday 2nd April).

The B4069 at Lyneham Banks, east of Royal Wootton Bassett, was closed for over three years after a landslip dislodged around 90m of the carriageway.

Wiltshire Council has now carried out repairs worth £5m to allow drivers back on the road.

Parvis Khansari, Corporate Director Place at the authority, said: "We're delighted that the B4069 Lyneham Banks has finally reopened after several years of hard work to both restore the road and introduce measures to prevent the land from slipping again.

"The closure has had a real effect on the local community and we thank them for their patience and understanding during the work.

"I'd also like to thank our officers and the team from Octavius Infrastructure, who have worked hard to deliver this project on time and on budget.

"This reopening marks a significant milestone, ensuring safer and more reliable journeys for all who use the road."

Chris Hudson, Operations Director of Octavius' highways business, said: "This was a challenge.

"About 90 metres of carriageway was lost. The hillside was still creeping when we commenced work, tackling such ground conditions demanded some creative solutions. But we are about bringing people together, so it was great to help reconnect communities affected by this lengthy road closure."

The road in numbers

• 1,500 cubic metres of excavated ground re-used in the project, saving around 200 lorry movements.

• 650 cubic metres of concrete used and 2,370 bags of grout.

• The project used 560m of linear drainage and 1,000 tonnes of drainage stone counterforts.

• The road took around 25,000 person-hours to construct.

• 900 metres of micro piles were used.

• Around 7,500 tonnes of stone were used for the road construction.

• More than 600 plants have been planted during the project.

• Before the landslide, around 5,500 drivers were using the stretch of the B4069 every day.

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