1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
RNA slams move to cancel 'vital' works
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Guy Sheppard The Road Haulage Association has slammed a government decision to reject two proposed West Country road improvement schemes on environmental grounds.
It says that the improvements—on the A36 between Codford and Heytesbury, Wilts and the A350 near Westbury, Wilts—are absolutely vital to ease congestion.
RHA Midlands and Western regional director Mike Farmer says: "The A350 is in our view one of the major north-south roads to and from Poole. There are bottlenecks all along it and Westbury is the worst one."
However, environmental campaigners are claiming the cancellation of the schemes shows a government change of heart on road building.
The pressure group Transport 2000 says the deferral of the two Wiltshire schemes is particularly significant because they are part of a plan to establish a "super-highway by stealth" running between Bath and Southampton.
Transport 2000 director Stephen Joseph says: "This settlement contrasts favourably with last year when 76 out of 77 road schemes proposed were approved. This year the government has listened to our concerns about some of the road schemes put forward by councils, several of which would have been environmentally damaging."
Local authorities will have £555m to spend on road improvements and bridge strengthening next year Among the schemes winning approval from Transport Minister John Spellar are a 137m scheme to upgrade Junction 11 of the M4; a £17m bypass on the A628 near Barnsley; and a £15.2m scheme to upgrade the A228 in Kent, Transport 2000 says major schemes rejected include the Killinghall bypass on the A81, the East Durham Link Road and the East Middlesbrough Transport Corridor.