DRIVERS in Chippenham are facing more roadwork misery on the A350 just weeks after work to extend the dual carriageway to the Morrisons Roundabout was completed.

The £3.4m improvements, started on July Monday, to the A350 at Chippenham will see A350 converted to dual carriageway in both directions between the Bumpers Farm Roundabout and the Brook Roundabout at the junction with Stainers Way at Cepen Park North.

It will also see improvements on approaches from both directions to Bumpers Farm Roundabout and the Brook Roundabout.

There are outline plans to begin work to dual the remaining sections of the A350 from the roundabout near Morrisons to the McDonald's Roundabout by the A4 in 2017.

Wiltshire Council has warned that work to improve traffic flow will cause disruption on the busy route and has reassured motorists that everything will be done to minimise delays by avoiding using traffic lights.

The first 12 days of construction will see clearance and preparatory works in readiness for night time closures on July 18 and 19.

During construction a 30mph limit will be in place to ensure the safety of the site staff, and will allow the road to be kept open to two-way traffic throughout.

There will be a series of overnight closures to allow specific items of work to be carried out safely. The work is due to be finished in early 2016.

Philip Whitehead, cabinet member for highways, said: "This is a very important route, one which has typically been a bottleneck.

“Although there will be some disruption while the work is ongoing, the outcome will improve journey times and ease the congestion around this area.

“Wiltshire is already very well connected in terms of transport links and this investment will bring economic benefits to the county as Wiltshire becomes an even more appealing place for businesses looking to relocate to."

Currently, restrictions to the capacity of the A350 at Chippenham create congestion on the approaches from the M4 Junction 17 and Chippenham Bypass West Cepen Way.

This causes significant delays during peak hours for traffic accessing the town and the A350 corridor through the county.

The scheme will be part-funded with money from a successful bid to the Local Transport Body, through the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The budget for the project is £3.356m, and it will deliver the benefit of less congestion and greater journey time certainty and savings, Wiltshire Council have said.

The £2.7m project to make the A350 a dual carriageway all the way from the M4 to the Morrisons roundabout started last summer and was finished in March. The work caused huge tailbacks on to the M4 and throughout the town.