DRIVERS near Stratton and Covingham are facing almost a year of disruption after Swindon Borough Council announced it would be starting a multi-million upgrade of Greenbridge Roundabout in March.

The work will start just a few weeks after Network Rail re-open the Stratton Green Bridge, which is due to close for three months in November as part of the Great Western electrification programme.

The £4million improvement works will take an estimated eight months to complete. They will see an increase in lanes around the roundabout, entry and exit routes widened, and traffic signals installed on all approaches.

There will also be additional pedestrian and cycle crossings and a new exit from the Greenbridge retail park to reduce the need for all exiting cars to use the roundabout.

The project is necessary to relieve a peak-time bottleneck and improve road links towards the east of Swindon, where major new housing development will happen over the next 15 years as part of the Eastern Villages expansion.

The works are being planned to minimise noise and disruption to nearby residents and businesses, and no roads will be completely closed during the works, which will take place largely between 9.30am and 4.30pm to avoid peak time traffic.

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council Cabinet member for Sustainability and Transport, said: “Local residents rightly say that roads should be improved before extra housing is built. This is why I have ensured the council has a detailed programme of road improvements over the next couple of years so they do not lag behind in coping with extra traffic.

"We must do all we can to ensure Swindon’s growth is well managed over the next 15 years.

 “The £4m Greenbridge roundabout improvements mark the next project to move ahead, and they will see major changes to the design that will make it flow better and be safer for all users, whether they are drivers, cyclists or pedestrians.

"There will be disruption, but work will start after Network Rail have finished their electrification work and reopened the bridge over the railway.”

Two public information events are being held to give more details of the project, where highways and project management staff from Swindon Borough Council will be on hand to answer questions.

The first is on Wednesday, October 28, at Coleview Community Centre on Towcester Road, between 4pm and 8pm, with the second event on Friday, October 30, at the Hooper’s Field Sports Complex, Wanborough, between 2pm and 7pm.

Network Rail are due to close the Greenbridge road bridge over the railway line on Swindon Road on Monday, November 9, as part of the main line electrification scheme, with a planned end date of early March 2016.