How Swindon's roads have changed including White Hart roundabout

What has been described by Swindon Borough Council as the biggest programme of road improvements in a generation aims to create extra capacity on main routes ahead of the construction of eight thousand homes in the New Eastern Villages on the east and south of the borough.

So far, work on the White Hart roundabout (£30m) and Gablecross junction (£8.4m) along with changes to Nythe Road, Oxford Road and Piccadilly roundabout (£7.3m) have been completed.

The White Hart Roundabout (Image: Newsquest)

Plus, a £40 million scheme to create new link road to the new housing developments within the NEV is well underway.

Gablecross Junction (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

The first highway scheme related to the NEV development involved a £5.3m project to widen and add traffic signals to Greenbridge roundabout.

The local authority worked with National Highways to change the road layout of the M4 Junction 15 roundabout, which cost £17m and intended to ease congestion at the busiest times of day.

Elsewhere, a new £28.7m underpass now runs under the motorway to provide a fourth way into the 4,500-home Wichelstowe development as well as 12.5 hectares of employment land which will support a new district centre.

Junction 15 of the M4 in Swindon. (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

Swindon drivers have seen several changes made to Mead Way, at a cost of £5.58m, while the mini-roundabouts at the Moonrakers junction have been replaced with traffic lights in a project which cost £3.89m.

The new Moonrakers junction layout (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

Swindon Borough Council secured most of the funding through successful bids to the government through the Local Growth Fund and Department for Transport.

Coun Gary Sumner, the Cabinet member for Strategic Infrastructure, Transport and Planning, said: “Once dubbed the fastest growing town in Europe, Swindon has always been a dynamic town with an economy a number of cities would be proud of.

“Our location means we continue to attract new firms and we know our population will grow even further over the next two decades.

“As a result, we need to carefully plan where any additional housing will be built through our Local Plan, and ensure we have the necessary roads, schools and amenities for the people who live here.

“As a council, we have overseen more than £150m of investment in our road network, which would not have been possible without the huge amount of funding we managed to secure from the government.

“Although this meant many of the schemes had to be delivered at the same time during the pandemic, we were able to keep traffic moving while the improvements were carried out.

“We now have a set of much-improved junctions and roads with extra capacity which will benefit local residents now and in the future when the thousands of new homes are built in our strategic housing sites.”

Piccadilly Roundabout (Image: Swindon Borough Council)

Richard Holden MP is the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport.

He said: “Swindon’s economy is underpinned by strong transport links, which we have backed with over £55 million in recent years.

“Across the whole country, we have committed £24 billion to take our road network to the next level to ensure it is reliable, greener and meet the needs of all road users.”

Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership CEO Paddy Bradley added: “Swindon has a vibrant economy and the potential to create significant economic opportunities over the coming years. It is important that there is a transport network that can meet the sustainable needs of both current and future generations.

“These economic improvements will help encourage more people to build their homes, businesses and careers in Swindon.

“We look forward to seeing how the town develops and would like to thank residents for their support and patience whilst these works were completed.”