MAJOR road works on one of Swindon’s busiest roads will begin in April and last until August.

A £900,000 project designed to fix the deteriorating road surface and improve parking on Akers Way will take 20 weeks to complete at five sites along the route.

The reconstruction will be split into phases starting in Easter, continuing into the summer, and finishing a year after it was originally planned to go ahead.

It is hoped that changes to the concrete road base slabs and a new, thicker road surface will increase the strength and flexibility of the road while also giving it a longer-lasting protective surface.

Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Cllr Keith Williams said: “The road surface along Akers Way has to be one of the worst, if not the worst, in the borough so these improvement works are essential, as I’m sure motorists who use the route would agree

“Akers Way is a main route into Swindon from North and West Swindon so there will inevitably be a lot of disruption to local residents and motorists. It is therefore essential that people who would ordinarily use Akers Way plan their journeys in advance, allow extra time for their journeys and use the diversion routes.

Phase one will begin on April 10 and last six weeks, covering the section of the road between St Mary’s Church roundabout and Cheney Manor Industrial Estate roundabout.

Diversions and traffic management will be put in place to ease congestion along the busy road during each phase of construction. Advanced notification signs will go up three weeks before work begins.

During the Easter holidays, there will be no access to Akers Way from the residential section of Cheney Manor Road including Harvey Grove, Brooklands Avenue and Manor Gardens but there will be diversions via Cheney Manor Industrial Estate Road, Darby Close and Cheney Manor Road.

Diversions for the following phases will be along Purton Road, Moredon Road, Cheney Manor Road, and parts of Akers Way.

In late May, the contractor will move to a 200m stretch on the western section of Akers Way from the Purton Road Roundabout towards Nova Hreod Academy to begin phase two which will take approximately three weeks.

Then further road works will follow in June at the section of road from the Purton Road Roundabout towards the Nova Hreod Academy. These are also expected to take three weeks.

The penultimate phase will involve the road on the eastern side of the Nova Hreod Academy which goes to Cheney Manor Industrial Estate Road roundabout.

During this part of the scheme, bollards will be removed at the end of Slade Street to create a link to Bates Way which will allow residents of Beany View and Slade Street to exit out onto Moredon Road.

Finally, the ambitious project will end at the Nova Hreod Academy junction which will be closed while work is carried out between July 31 and 23 August, just before the release of the GCSE exam results.

Councillor Williams added: “As a result of the road closure, other routes will inevitably see an increase in traffic so I would encourage people to consider alternative travel arrangements whether it be sharing a car journeys with a neighbour or using public transport.”

Regular updates on the road improvement scheme will be published in the Council’s fortnightly Highways News e-newsletter at www.swindon.gov.uk/newsletter