Upcoming improvement works on the A46 near Bath

National Highways are investing £6 million to improve the A46 to the north of Bath, and will be undertaking several essential schemes on the road over the next six months. The works will improve safety, make journeys more reliable, and reduce the need for future unplanned closures.

Work will take place in three phases over the coming months: 

Phase One: 18 January - 20 March 2026

• Charmy Downs - Geotechnical surveys
• Hartley Bends – installing new and upgraded chevron signage

Phase Two (Dates TBC)

• Four Winds Farm – drainage improvements

Phase Three (Dates TBC)

• Hartley Bends – resurfacing

Dates and duration for phases two and three will be confirmed in due course. To work safely, Highways England will use combinations of weekday lane closures and weeknight full closures. Where needed, signed diversions will be put in place.

Phase One

Work will take place on weekdays and weeknights from Sunday 18 January – Friday 20 March at the following locations: 

• Charmy Downs - Geotechnical surveys and installation of monitoring devices. This will help plan for any future works that might be required. 
• Hartley Bends – installing new and upgraded chevron signage to improve road safety.

There will be a mixture of full overnight closures, as well as daytime lane closures as detailed below. The A46 will be open as usual on weekends.

Traffic management and closures

Traffic management will be in place Monday to Friday from Sunday 18 January until Friday 20 March.

Overnight closures (8pm – 6am, Monday - Friday)

The A46 will be closed weeknights in both directions between Cold Ashton roundabout and London Road junction roundabout.

Well-signed diversions will be in place for both northbound and southbound traffic via:

• A420 (Marshfield)
• A350
• A4 (Corsham / Box)

Access will be maintained to properties on the A46 during the closure. 

Daytime lane closures (6am – 8pm, Monday - Friday)

A lane closure will be in place on the northbound carriageway on the three-lane section at Charmy Down. This will enable teams to work safely. One lane will be running in each direction with a contraflow in place.

Dates may change at short notice due to poor weather conditions or operational reasons. If work is unable to be completed as planned, teams may need to continue beyond the dates stated above.