THE Junction 16 works will cost the taxpayer over three quarters of a million pounds more than originally thought.

The £760,000 predicted overspend has been described by opposition councillors as “usual Tory mismanagement” amid claims that the administration is “failing to learn from previous mistakes”.

The £11.5m upgrade to the busy motorway junction has slowly been coming to fruition over the past year as major earthworks, drainage works, the widening of the highway approaches and utility diversions are now close to completion.

But the overspend, which will be funded by borrowing, will likely add to taxpayers’ frustrations.

A spokesman for the Labour Group said: “We are very disappointed to see that the usual Tory mismanagement of infrastructure projects is leading to another large bill for Swindon's taxpayers.

“The overspend on the Junction 16 works is likely to total around £760,000 which will be funded by yet more borrowing, so taxpayers will end up paying significantly more once interest costs are added.

“Following huge delays and overspends at Bruce St Bridges on the work there, it appears that the administration are not learning any lessons from their previous mistakes.”

It is also likely that current delays to the project due to adverse weather conditions will further increase the overspend.

When this was put to Coun Mary Martin, the cabinet member for communities and place, by Labour's Jim Robbins earlier this week, Coun Martin replied: "It will increase a little bit, I think - yes."

But she added that whenever the local authority signs off on projects of this nature there is always a chance that adverse weather conditions will cause delays. "There's nothing much we can do about that I'm afraid," she said.

But the administration hit back at Labour’s claims of incompetence, accusing the party of politicising the issue.

Council leader David Renard said: “How sad it is that the Labour Group cannot see any investment in the town’s roads without wanting to turn it into a party political football.

“Anyone who has been involved in a major construction project knows that there will always be some variance between the initial estimate and the final costs because of factors beyond anyone’s control such as the weather or what conditions may exist beneath the ground.”

Councillor Renard added that the issues at Bruce Street Bridges had included unmarked, buried railway tracks as well as additional pipes and cables, the existence of which had not been declared by utility companies.

The variance of roughly 6.4 per cent in the Junction 16 contract, he said, was “not unusual”.

When complete, it is hoped that the interchange will be able to cope with larger volumes of traffic and ensure it can cater for future development in the surrounding areas, including the nearby Wichelstowe development which will see thousands of new homes built over the next few years.

Councillor Renard added: “Overall, the Conservative-run administration has invested hundreds of millions of pounds in new and improved roads along with numerous additional schools.”