Pictured: A mysterious ripped-up road in Wiltshire

[6Foot2]

Link: Pictured: A mysterious ripped-up road in Wiltshire [The Telegraph]

 

 

 

The B4069 near Lyneham, Wilts has been severely damaged by as-yet unexplained forces. The section of the road has been so badly damaged that the tarmac is completely snapped or lying a 45-degree angle in some places.

 

Wiltshire Council say the road has been closed since February 17th, but some drivers still are still attempting to use it according to police.

 

The 'earthquake-like damage seems to have come from unexplained movements underground that will now be investigated.

 

Local residents claim the subsidence has been getting worse over the last year and a landslip was inevitable.

 

Wiltshire Council said it is now waiting for a report from geotechnical specialists before taking further action.

 

Dr Mark McClelland, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for transport, told BBC Radio Wiltshire: "It could costs hundreds of thousands or up into the millions [to fix].

 

"There is significant damage to the road. It could be up to 12 months in total. It's not something that can be resolved in a matter of days or weeks."

 

Dr McClelland added in some places the road had 'buckled' up to four feet, and descriptions of it looking like an earthquake were accurate.

 

He added: "The underlying ground has slipped and we need to understand why that has happened.

 

"The police have been very clear that it's very dangerous for motorists to ignore signage."

 

The remarkable damage is also affecting local business, with local pubs like the Peterborough Arms suffering huge losses in bookings since the closure.

[Boredguy]

What they don't say is that next to the road they have built up a large embankment over the last few months to build more houses on, and it's just after that section that the landslip has formed.

[hardtailstar]

Looks perfectly driveable.....

[mrbios]

"get the spray paint out, draw a circle on it, deal with it in about 6 months. Sorted" - The council, probably.

[Andrew_C]

I like the 'wiggly road' sign...

[FragglePete]

They are forever repairing that road - I ride it on my motorcycle on a regular basis and am always wary as you never know what state it'll be in as it changes over night.

 

Pete

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Normally when I see/read about unexplained movements in the ground and damage to roads / property, I'll immediately blame it on servants of Cthulhu or some other eldritch horror.

But in this case, is it possible the development on the hill had something to do with it? Outlandish though it may seem.

[chazzy2501]

You can see its an obvious landslide, what guff are they talking about mysterious underground what? There is even a construction site above it in the picture!

 

I can only assume council members have financial ties to the above construction, to make a wild excuses like mysterious underground movements.

[jthompson]

The big earthworks/constuction site in the background does rather suggest itself as a cause. I speak from extensive experience of making exactly these sorts of mistakes all the time with my roads in SimCity 2000.

[Davit2005]

I like the 'wiggly road' sign...

 

Uneven road sign would be ideal too

 

I would not even attempt to use it if I still had my Range Rover that I used to off road many years back.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Davit2005

[6Foot2]

Link: Wiltshire road becomes a skate park after it cracks and buckles | UK news | The Guardian

[6Foot2]

On 08/03/2022 at 09:30, 6Foot2 said:

Link: Wiltshire road becomes a skate park after it cracks and buckles | UK news | The Guardian

 

Link: Buckled Wiltshire road that excited skateboarders finally repaired | Wiltshire | The Guardian

 

Quote

A stretch of country road in Wiltshire that was so badly buckled in a landslip it became a hotspot for skateboarders and BMX riders has finally been fixed three years on.

 

The 140-metre stretch of the B4069 was broken up and shifted 25 metres downhill after heavy rain in February 2022.

 

That meant misery for people living in and around Lyneham but, briefly, it became a vibrant playground for thrill-seekers who enjoyed the angles and elevations created and used its wild undulations for spins, jumps and flips.

 

Wiltshire council closed the road, put in a diversion and ordered people not to walk, skateboard or cycle on the stretch. It warned them they could be in breach of a traffic order if they did so and be prosecuted.

 

For such a small stretch of road, it turned out to be a major engineering project costing about £5m, but it was finally reopened to traffic on Wednesday.

 

The council said it had no choice but to repair the road rather than finding a new route because it carried more than 5,500 vehicles a day.

 

A painstaking fix began with months of assessment, including drilling 31 boreholes and 21 trial pits, as well as extensive sampling and monitoring of water levels and ground movement to establish the cause and extent of the landslip.

 

Analysis showed the landslip was probably caused by a combination of factors, including historical weaknesses, increased groundwater and additional loading owing to nearby development.

 

The council has stabilised a section of the hill that collapsed with the construction, including installing a piled retaining wall and ground anchors. A series of drainage systems has been installed in the area to help manage groundwater flows.

 

The council has tried to make the best of the project, including having the engineers, managers, planners and surveyors on the scheme attend a careers fair in Wiltshire to inspire young people to join the industry. College students were offered placements on the rebuild.

 

Parvis Khansari, the council’s corporate director, said: “We’re delighted that the B4069 Lyneham Banks has finally reopened after several years of hard work to both restore the road and introduce measures to prevent the land from slipping again.

 

“The closure has had a real effect on the local community and we thank them for their patience and understanding.”