National Highways Green Light Wyndham Road Footbridge Replacement

Local campaigners are celebrating after National Highways has reversed the decision not to replace the footbridge that crosses the ring road at the top of Wyndham Road.

National Highways, which manages England’s motorways and major A roads, initially planned to remove the 58-year-old pedestrian bridge altogether in a £23 million works package announced earlier this year.

But after further monitoring bridge usage and liaising with city councillors and community groups, plans are now being developed to replace the structure, along with the Victoria Road footbridge.

Paul Russell, one of the local campaigners, said, "I'm incredibly proud of what our community has achieved by coming together to protect these essential local assets. Residents, community groups and elected representatives from across the political spectrum have demonstrated the power of working together towards a shared goal. This outcome shows what can be achieved when a community speaks with one voice.

"I would also like to commend National Highways for listening to the concerns raised about the original proposals and for taking a pragmatic approach that reflects the needs of local people. Their willingness to engage, reconsider the plans and ultimately support the replacement of both footbridges is very welcome. This is a positive result for Salisbury and a testament to the value of constructive collaboration between communities and public bodies.”

Chris Hilldrup, National Highways Route Manager, said: “We do understand the importance of the footbridge as an A36 crossing point, and after listening to the community’s feedback, we’ve looked again at all options and will now be upgrading both structures.

“Installing more modern bridges will improve accessibility in those locations, and our next step is to go into detailed design to provide the best solutions to achieve that.”

The schemes are expected to be delivered in 2028/2029, and in the meantime, National Highways will keep communities informed every step of the way.

The A36 Corridor work is being delivered to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion in the city, and enhance safety.

In addition to the bridge replacements, the investment includes installing new adaptive traffic signals at the Castle, St Mark’s and St Paul’s roundabouts, along with resurfacing work and an upgrade to the Southampton Road pedestrian crossing.

The scheme to replace the 32-year-old roundabout signals is due to be completed in the coming weeks. The upgraded traffic signals will switch on next Wednesday (22 October) under existing fixed timings and will become adaptive to traffic flows after traffic detectors are installed next month.

National Highways will also hold two public information events next month to announce proposals for £25 million in further improvements to the A36 Southampton Road, bringing the total road investment in Salisbury to around £50 million over the next four years.

The company aims to improve traffic flow and journey reliability along this section of the A36 by increasing lanes and capacity at the College and Bourne Way roundabouts, along with underpass and pathway enhancements and additional Active Travel provision.

The public engagement events are being held to gather feedback on the initial plans, and the company invites all interested parties to attend and learn more.

The events will be held in Salisbury’s Market Square between 10 am and 3 pm on Tuesday, 17 November and Wednesday, 18 November; those unable to attend can access information and an online questionnaire.

In the meantime, you can find further details on the A36 Corridor works on the dedicated National Highways scheme page.