The ‘UK’s wonkiest road’, Lyneham Banks, is set to reopen tomorrow (2 April).
No, it’s not an April Fool – it’s true. Complex work to fix the B4069 after its collapse in February 2022 was completed last week.
A major landslip moved a section of the road 25 metres downhill, with the cost to restore the route estimated to be around £5 million.
Shortly after the incident, the damaged road was inundated with skaters using it as a makeshift skatepark.
The council were forced to put a Traffic Regulation Order in place, making it an offence to use the road.
Now, in a statement, Allison Bucknell, the Wiltshire councillor for Lyneham, confirmed that the Lyneham Banks will reopen to motorists on Wednesday, 2 April.
She wrote: “It is with immense pleasure that I can confirm that the B4069 Lyneham Banks will be re-opening on Wednesday April 2nd. The exact time depends on the final checks taking place in the morning – it is likely to be some time after lunch.
“It has been a long, slow journey to get to where we are today, and I would like to pay tribute to all of the officers and contractors who have worked on this project, and to the residents and businesses who have had to put up with a huge amount of inconvenience.
“There have been calls from residents for an “official opening”. Whilst I personally would have supported that, this is not normal practice for Wiltshire Council so no balloons, no fanfare, no drumroll. The most important thing is that we can get our lives back to “normal” as soon as possible.
“We all hope that we don’t have to put up with anything like this ever again. It has been simply horrendous.
“And to all those disbelievers who repeatedly told us this would never happen – I really hope you don’t mind being proved wrong!
