Bath & North East Somerset Council has published plans to spend £500,000 to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion at two major road junctions on the A39.
The A39 is a key commuting route, with two traffic-light controlled junctions with the B3116 and A368. Congestion at these two junctions impact not only on through traffic but also cause delays for local traffic.
This includes a £500,000 scheme to improve traffic flow on the A39, with work to increase road capacity at the A39/B3116 junction (known as the Two-headed Man junction) in 2017.
Around 5,000 vehicles per day use the existing light-controlled junction which has one lane in each direction.
Vehicles turning here frequently hold-up traffic while they wait for the opportunity to turn. It is proposed to widen the A39 carriageway on each approach to two lanes to provide dedicated turning lanes.
In addition, further improvements are planned to the A39/A368 junction at Marksbury in 2018, subject to grant funding.
Cllr Tim Warren (Cons, Mendip), Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “Improving our area’s transport network and reducing congestion is one of our top priorities as an administration.
This includes schemes that improve traffic flow at notorious junctions and bottlenecks such as the Two Headed Man.
“Alongside further improvements planned to the A39 at the junction with the A368 Marksbury, this major traffic improvement scheme will reduce traffic queues and improve journey times for thousands of drivers each day.
“And by reducing the amount of time people are sat in traffic, not only are we making journeys quicker and easier, but we are also helping to support our local economy and improve our regions’ productivity as well.”
Cllr Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, added: “The need to improve traffic on the A39, and at the Two Headed Man junction in particular, has been talked about locally for many years.
“These improvements form a key part of our wider plan to improve transport and tackle congestion across the B&NES area, and will significantly improve both road capacity and traffic flow on the A39. Not only will these improvements speed-up commuter times but it will also reduce emissions from idling cars which impact on air quality.
“We are inviting residents to find out more about the proposals and give their feedback at a drop-in event taking place in Marksbury Village Hall on the 20th June, and I would encourage anybody interested in the plans to come along.”
Anyone interested in finding out more is invited to a public drop-in event at Marksbury Village Hall on 20th June from 4pm to 7pm.
Copies of the proposals can also be found on the web page: www.bathnes.gov.uk/A39improvements.