Mead Way | Moonrakers | Junction 15

Upgrading White Hart roundabout

From Monday (12 Oct), a diversion will be in place for seven weeks for motorists travelling southbound on the A419. Motorists will need to continue to the Commonhead roundabout before returning back to White Hart roundabout. The roundabout itself will remain open during this time.

This is part of the improvement work to build a retaining wall, enabling the slip road to be widened to four lanes. New drainage, kerbs, signage and lighting will also be added.

This junction is one of several being upgraded as part of the New Eastern Villages development - sign up to the dedicated newsletter to get the latest updates.

Increasing the capacity of Mead Way

Work is continuing at Mead Way as part of the £4m investment to help increase capacity and improve journey times.

The work programme has been impacted by COVID-19, which required utility companies to furlough some of their staff and there were restrictions on the number of workers allowed on site to ensure social distancing was followed.

This means that some of the work has taken longer than originally planned but we expect the project to be completed by the Spring.

Improving journey times at Moonrakers junction

When the £2.8m upgrade of Moonrakers is complete, road users will see improved traffic flow on the junction as well as reduced journey times. The junction will also be more accessible for buses, cyclists and pedestrians too.

Last week we announced that we would be extending the duration of the Whitworth Road closure, as part of the improvements, while we wait for a utility company to bury their cables and pipework underground.

At present, we are unable to provide a firm date for when the road will reopen, as this will be dependent on the length of time the utility company takes to complete their work. However, we expect the closure to remain in place at least until early November.

During this time, we will take the opportunity to progress other work in the area faster, such as the drainage work on this section of the junction, which will save time and reduce costs.

You can find out what else has been happening at the junction in the most recent edition of the Moonrakers newsletter.

Building the Wichelstowe Southern Access under the M4

The Wichelstowe Southern Access has reached an important milestone this week as beams for the new underpass have begun to be installed.

These beams are in the same location as the eastbound lane of the M4, which is why we moved the motorway traffic onto a temporary embankment.

The work to build a new underpass underneath the M4 motorway will help support 4,500 new homes, the new district centre and will also unlock 12.5 hectares of employment land, supporting around 2,000 new jobs.

Reducing congestion at Junction 15 of the M4

The £17.5m scheme which started in August is being led by Highways England. Once complete, the bottleneck at both the motorway junction and on the A419 will be alleviated.

So far, drainage and embankment work is continuing in the North East and South West corners of the site. Work to widen the roundabout and the westbound exit slip road has started.

For further information please visit the Traffic England website and follow Highways England South West on Twitter.

Providing smarter street lighting across the borough

We’ve partnered with SSE Enterprise Contracting to convert 28,000 street lights to LED lanterns which will consume less energy, reduce light pollution and save almost £800k each year. This upgrade is expected to reduce the amount of energy we purchase and use by over 60% while also providing better lighting and smarter technology.

Over the next couple of weeks SSE will be working along Oxford Road and out towards the A420. They will then start with the conversions on Great Western Way.

Following installation there will be a slight delay before the lights are dimmed. If lights in your road have not been dimmed after 10 days, please contact us.

You can read FAQ's about the scheme on our website.

Staying safe while cycling in low light

If you are cycling at night or in low light conditions, making sure other road users can see you is really important. Watch the video above to learn some simple tips about how to make yourself more visible on the roads.

You should avoid car sharing if possible

Right now, you shouldn’t be sharing a vehicle with people outside your household, that includes picking up other children on the school run or while commuting to work.

If sharing a vehicle is your only option, you need to make sure you follow Government car sharing advice closely to keep you safe.

Roadworks

Milford Street (Near Wellington Street)

The road will be closed between 9.30am and 5pm on Monday, 26 October to allow for small defect work to be carried out. A diversion route will be in place.

Take a look at our interactive map which provides details of all roadworks across the borough, and indicates which agencies are carrying out the work.

Copyright © 2020. Swindon Borough Council. All rights reserved.

Don’t keep Highways News to yourself – do you know a friend or colleague who would find it useful? Why not forward it to them using the button above.

Unsubscribe from Highways News