Part of Swindon town centre road to close for more than three months

Later this month, Swindon Borough Council will start changing the layout of the Whalebridge junction and Corporation Street to make them compatible with the regeneration of Fleming Way and the Kimmerfields site next to Zurich's new UK head office.

At the moment, traffic heading south from Manchester Road towards Fleming Way can only turn left towards the mini roundabout near Halfords.

The scheme will add an extra southbound lane on Corporation Street that will allow traffic to go straight on past Fleming Way and up towards Princes Street.

It is hoped that this change will improve the road network around the town centre and improve the efficiency of bus services in the area.

After consulting with the Swindon Cycle Campaign group, the scheme will see the Eastern Flyer cycle route link directly with Fleming Way with a dedicated cycle lane from the western end of Fleming Way and south on Princes Street.

The local authority has announced that lane closures will be put in place from July 31 so that work will be carried out as quickly and safely as possible.

The biggest disruption for drivers will begin on August 14, when the second phase of work closes Corporation Street from the junction with Manchester Road to the turn onto Fleming Way.

This section of the street will not reopen until at least December 1.

Corporation Street will be closed from Manchester Road to Fleming Way (Image: Dave Cox)

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: "The closure has been deemed necessary in order to enable utility work to be carried out at the same time – meaning the closure will be shorter and less obstructive.

"Pedestrian access and access into Unity Place will be maintained but a diversion will be put in place for other vehicles.

"Bus route changes will also be detailed by Stagecoach and Swindon Bus Company."

Stagecoach has advised passengers that, while there will be no changes to the timetables, some services (6, 9, 46A, 48, 48A, X46, 49, 53, 80, 81, 82, 10) will not stop on Corporation Street and will instead stop at Manchester Road and County Road.

News of the changes to the Whalebridge junction was first announced in May 2022 and the project is expected to have completed its final phase, the construction of access roads to the Kimmerfields site, by the end of next year.