UK's wonkiest road reopens after three-year closure

Yahoo

02-04-2025

People living near a road once dubbed Britain's wonkiest say they are excited it is back open - and not at all wonky.
A large section of the B4069 at Lyneham Banks, in Wiltshire, was damaged by a landslip during Storm Eunice in 2022.
Three years and one month later, at a cost of £5m to Wiltshire Council, it is open again and diversion signs will be taken down over the next few days.
Trish Blacker, who lives in Bradenstoke where diverted lorries had to travel down tiny roads, said it is "going to be seriously positive".
Ms Blacker said the lengthy diversion route meant the school run could take two hours each day.
"It's been a struggle," she said. "I'm a mum with four children. It's meant a huge amount of time in the car. It's been frustrating, but I'm excited."
Ms Blacker said there was anger when the road first closed, but added this had died down over time.
She said people are now in "high spirits" at the opening.
"It is going to give everybody more time," she added.
Kirt lives in Lyneham and explained the long diversion had been costing him a lot in petrol: "It should only be a 14 mile round trip for me to go to work. I've being doing 34 a day."
"It feels absolutely amazing. It's like a weight lifted off my shoulders."
He also remembers seeing the road breaking - noticing a big hole just before it shut.
"If you saw the state of it, you could see why it took so long," he added.
John Williams lives in Lyneham and can see the road from his home.
He said the diversion meant he had to drive an additional 5,000 miles (8,047km) during the three-year closure.
"I'm not angry," he said. "I just sort of accepted it really. [It was] just one of those things we had to put up with."
Mr Williams said he is impressed by the work, especially with the planting of new hedgerows and trees.
"They've really worked hard - they've got it done on time."
More news stories for Wiltshire
Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire
The project has been described as "challenging" by both the council and the contractor Octavius.
This was because the land was moving for a while after the landslip, and meant there had to be a lot of investigation to work out how to repair it.
Now the road is open once again, Ms Blacker said she will be travelling down it blasting On The Road Again by Willy Nelson.
Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Work starts to repair Wiltshire's 'wonkiest road'
Wiltshire's wonkiest road 'killing pub's trade'
Road ripped up by subsidence could cost millions to fix