High hopes for £16m flyover plan (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

High hopes for £16m flyover plan

Work under way Commonhead roundabout on the A419 near SwindonAFTER months of planning, work has finally begun on the Common-head roundabout flyover project. The £16m scheme got underway yesterday as contractors moved in to begin building a works compound in the centre of the roundabout.

Robin Miller, spokes-man for the Highways Agency which is undertaking the project said: "The work should take 18 months to complete.

"After the initial preparation of the compound, which will take around four weeks, workers will begin to remove the buildings and vegetation in the path of the road.

"A new flyover will be built over the top of the roundabout to take traffic from the A419."

It was feared that the start of the work would bring traffic chaos, but motorists in Swindon will not face major delays just yet.

"At the moment the only activity is the setting up of the compound in the centre of the roundabout," said Mr Miller.

"As this will only take a few weeks it will cause very little disruption to motorists.

"The main engineering work will be the construction of the flyover itself. That is not scheduled to start for at least six months."

The Highways Agency is looking at how it will be able limit the disruption when the project moves into its main stage.

News that work has started has been welcomed by the minister for roads, Dr Stephen Ladyman.

He said the new flyover will reduce congestion at the Commonhead roundabout and improve journey times and safety.

The project has been under consultation for many months and has faced objection from Swindon residents.

As part of it, a fence will be put up and will run along the western edge of the road to contain noise.

But people living nearby believe the fence, which will be between two and four metres high, will ruin their views of farmland east of the A419.

And some are still not convinced that there is a need for a flyover.