RODBOURNE Road will be re-opened to through traffic in time for the morning rush hour on Monday after Network Rail completed its work on two railway bridges earlier than expected.

Work to reconstruct one of the ageing railway bridges and remove another that was redundant started on April 18 and was expected to last until Sunday, May 15.

Since then, Rodbourne Road has been closed to drivers between Penzance Drive and Church Place, sending drivers on an official diversion along to the Transfer Bridges and back again.

The vast majority of the bridge works were carried out over the bank holiday weekend when a large crane was on site to lift the new structure into place, but Network Rail needed the full closure to carry out preparatory works on the site leading up to this.

But on Friday afternoon it was announced that Network Rail has finished the vast majority of the work. There will now be one final overnight closure from 11pm on Saturday, May 14 until 5am on Sunday, May 15 for engineers to complete the final stage of the project.

During the Rodbourne Road closure, diversions were put in place for motorists and in an effort to create an additional route, and Swindon Borough Council opened the Penzance Drive and Wootton Bassett Road bus gates to all traffic in a bid to ease congestion.

Following the early completion of the railway bridge work, the council will be removing the Rodbourne Road closure and reinstating the bus gates from Monday morning.

Councillor Dale Heenan, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for transport and sustainability said: “It is great Rodbourne Road will be back to normal following more than £12 million in road and rail improvements.

“I would like to thank Network Rail for completing the work ahead of schedule and also thank motorists, local businesses and local residents for their patience while this essential work was carried out.

“With the roads in and around Rodbourne now free of works, I would encourage people to visit the many businesses in the area from Swindon Mobility Ltd to Sinbad Tandoori and West Tailoring Alterations. Rodbourne is open for business.”

Jennifer Pearson, Network Rail’s scheme project manager, said: “I’d like to thank residents for their patience and understanding while we completed this essential upgrade.

“We were fully aware of the inconvenience caused by this temporary closure which is why we worked hard to complete the majority of the work and re-open the road as soon as possible.

“This improvement work forms a key part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers. In addition to this reconstruction, we’ll be continuing with our electrification work to bring the benefits of the longer, faster, quieter and greener electric trains to the residents of Swindon.”