Council awards £20m contract to transport company

Wiltshire Council has awarded a £20.7m contract for a major transport scheme.

The council has announced its intention to award the contract for the final phases of dualling the A350 at Chippenham to MJ Church.

Phases 4 and 5 of the project will turn the remaining single carriageway sections of the A350 at Chippenham into dual carriageways, while also improving Bumpers Farm Roundabout.

The project will give easier access to and from Bumpers Farm industrial estate, and crucially improve journey times on the A350, which is a key route from the M4 to the south coast and an important road that serves communities in the north and west of Wiltshire.

Work is expected to begin in spring 2024 and end in autumn 2025, but the project will require approval of the Full Business Case by the Department for Transport before any work can start; this approval is expected in early 2024.

Caroline Thomas, cabinet member for transport, said: “We are delighted to award the contract for dualling the final part of the A350 at Chippenham to MJ Church.

“Not only did the company provide the most competitive quote, but MJ Church is also a local Chippenham company, so this project will secure jobs here in Wiltshire.

“In their tender, MJ Church demonstrated that they are committed and well placed to provide a range of local social benefits alongside the main construction activities. These could include schools and community engagement events; art projects; local community training sessions; or the donation of materials, plant and labour to help develop initiatives such as improving access to Vincients Wood.

“We will now await final approval from the Department for Transport before the work can hopefully begin in the spring.

“We have committed to having well-connected communities in our Business Plan, and this project will improve journey times and reduce congestion on this key west Wiltshire road.”

Ben Staff, MJ Church’s managing director, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver this important local scheme.

“Our work on the A350 has spanned four decades and we are very excited to be delivering the final phases of its dualling, improving the community that we work in.”