RESIDENTS were given the opportunity to view plans for the Bruce Street Bridges work this week at a special drop-in event.

It was held at the Even Swindon Community Centre on Tuesday and employees from Wills Brothers Ltd, who are the contractors for the project, were on hand to explain what was happening.

The Bruce Street works started on September 22 and are part of the overall Great Western Way Highway Improvement Scheme. It aims to reduce queuing and improve the flow of traffic at four major junctions – the Bruce Street Bridges junction, the Cockleberry roundabout, the North Star roundabout and the Transfer Bridges junction.

The current work will see the replacement of the four mini-roundabouts at the Bruce Street Bridges junction in Cheney Manor with a more efficient single roundabout, and the introduction of a traffic signal-controlled junction at Newcombe Drive to improve access to the Hawksworth Industrial Estate from Great Western Way.

In November, work started to install extra drainage pipes in nine roads and streets across Cheney Manor to reduce the risk of flooding, which the area has regularly suffered in periods of heavy rain.

The final designs for the work were developed after extensive public consultations with residents, businesses and councillors. The £8 million scheme will be funded by contributions secured by Swindon Council from housing developers, along with money from the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency.