DRIVERS are being warned to brace themselves for at least six months of roadworks at a busy Swindon roundabout.

Work to upgrade Mannington roundabout will begin next spring, Swindon Borough Council has announced.

But there are fears the planned roadworks may overlap with ongoing work on Junction 16 of the M4. The council said that the vast majority of the M4 works would be complete by the time the Mannington project begins.

The plans are part of the borough’s Quality Bus Corridor project, which aims to improve routes into Swindon from Wichelstowe and Mannington.

The work will be organised in three phases.

It will start with the removal of the long traffic island that separates the bus lane on the Tewkesbury Way approach to the roundabout. The bus lane will end earlier, which the council says will give more space for queueing traffic.

A new dedicated left turn lane will be built on the North East corner of the roundabout by the Fish Brothers car dealership, for cars turning on to Wootton Bassett Road from Great Western Way.

Finally, a slip road will be built from Mannington Retail Park for cars turning westbound on to Great Western Way.

An existing slip lane into the retail park will be extended, Swindon Borough Council transport manager Lynsey Turner said.

“This aims to reduce the queueing back out on to Great Western Way at busy periods,” she said.

Coun Mary Martin, the cabinet member for communities, said: “The improvements to Mannington Roundabout will help to alleviate congestion at a busy junction and allow traffic to move more freely, especially at peak times.

“We are working closely with the team overseeing the work at Junction 16 to ensure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum.

“However, we expect the vast majority of the Junction 16 work will be complete by the start of the Mannington works.”

Councillors have until Monday to share their views on the proposed designs.

At a meeting of the South Swindon Parish Council’s planning committee this week councillors were largely supportive of the designs.

Coun Janine Howarth said of the roundabout: “It was never built for that amount of traffic being directed from West Swindon.”

Coun Neil Hopkins said the work was absolutely essential.

“Phase one is definitely needed. That bus lane goes too far down towards the roundabout and it does impact quite significantly when there are high volumes of traffic coming down Tewkesbury Way,” he said.

Coun Mary Gladman joked: “They can’t make it worse, can they?”

Labour’s transport spokesman tentatively backed the plans.

Jim Robbins, a Labour ward councillor for Mannington and Western, said: “I’m cautiously optimistic that this will help alleviate some of the traffic issues.

“It will certainly help bus journey times.”

“Anything that we can do to support people to use public transport rather than cars can only help ease the congestion in the area.”

Last weekend, drivers were left with lengthy delays – with many complaining of “gridlock” on many roads. Traffic was very slow moving on Tewkesbury Way, Great Western Way, Wootton Bassett Road and Mead Way.

Grant Sinclair, 58, who lives near the Outlet Centre, complained: “The traffic here is the worst I’ve seen since living in Rodbourne for six years.”

He said a journey to Moredon, which usually takes under five minutes, on Saturday took 45 minutes.

“It was getting worse as we were sitting in traffic,” he added.

Updates on the Mannington scheme will be issued through the council’s Highways e-newsletter, via: www.swindon.gov.uk/newsletter