WORK on the Bruce Street Bridges redevelopment is continuing to make progress.

Yesterday evening, residents had a chance to find out more about the work being done at the junction at an information drop-in session, in nearby Ferndale.

Visitors to All Saints Church Hall in Southbrook Street had a chance to view plans for the £8m scheme and speak to members of Swindon Borough Council’s project team and the contractor, Wills Bros.

The busy junction of four roundabouts at Bruce Street is being changed into a single, larger roundabout, which it is hoped will ease traffic flow.

However, despite the worst of the traffic issues now being over with easier traffic flow around the main junction, Coun Des Moffatt (Lab, Rodbourne Cheney) said the roadworks had been a horrendous plague on local residents.

He said: “It’s just horrendous. I’ve had numerous people call in to complain about it all.

“People have been calling for weeks about it, about the road closures and the cut-throughs and the rat-running.

“The worst thing has been the flood alleviation works and the impact that’s had.

“I can’t make excuses for the developer but when they first announced they would do the work along Cheney Manor Road they said they would keep the road open but use traffic lights and keep one lane open.

“But when it came to it I think the equipment they wanted to use was just too big and they had to close the whole road.

“And I don’t think there is any conventional equipment to do the job.”

Work began on the Bruce Street roundabout on September 22 last year as part of the wider 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 new roundabout set to replace Bruce Street Bridges will operate similarly to the Mannington Roundabout, with intermittent traffic lights that come into operation during peak periods in order to ensure steady traffic flow from all directions.

The first phase of the work, which is now under way, involves the replacement of the four mini-roundabouts at the Bruce Street Bridges junction in Cheney Manor with a more efficient single roundabout.

It will also see the introduction of a traffic signal-controlled junction at Newcombe Drive to improve access to the Hawksworth Industrial Estate from Great Western Way.

Last November, work began to install extra drainage pipes in nine roads and streets across Cheney Manor to reduce the risk of flooding, which the area is prone to.

Designs for the work were finally put in place after extensive public consultations with residents, businesses, and councillors.

Funding for the scheme will be provided by contributions to Swindon Borough Council from housing developers along with money from the Department for Transport and the Environment Agency.

Residents will have another chance to be updated on the work at another meeting on May 26 at Even Swindon Community Centre, Jennings Street.