National Highways is starting work this autumn to stabilise 600 metres of embankment alongside the M4 in Wiltshire which will bring the hard shoulder back into use following a landslide.
Contractors MJ Church will move around 25,000 tonnes of earth and other material before backfilling with 19,500 tonnes of stone, locally sourced from a nearby quarry, to restore the embankment and hard shoulder.
The work is part of a larger scheme between junctions 16 (Swindon West, Royal Wootton Bassett) and 17 (Chippenham) which will also see the refurbishment of four bridges across the motorway.
Chris Hilldrup, National Highways Route Manager, said:
“Many of the roads and bridges we manage were built around 60 years ago and are nearing the end of their life span, so we’re acting now and renewing them to prevent bigger problems further down the line.
“This £20 million investment along the M4 in Wiltshire is a significant engineering undertaking. Once we have stabilised the embankment, we will refurbish the bridges and upgrade barriers to maintain the safety and reliability of this busy route for many years to come.”
Identified during routine surveys, the landslide alongside the motorway has rendered the hard shoulder unsafe and unusable on the eastbound approach to Swindon, and the verges and embankments need to be stabilised before work starts on the bridge repairs in autumn 2027.
To enable the first phase of work, the westbound carriageway between junctions 16 and 17 will be subject to overnight lane closures this month, with some overnight eastbound lane closures, and a daytime hard lane shoulder closure, required for vegetation and utilities work.Mr Hilldrup added: “We’re doing everything we can to minimise disruption, by keeping lanes running in each direction for the first phase, which will only add an extra two minutes to people’s journey times.
“We appreciate roadworks can impact on people’s journeys, and in the meantime, we advise people to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys through the works.”
(Picture: National Highways)
