IT has been giving motorists a headache in the rush hour but the new flyover on one of the town's busiest roads is starting to take shape.

Work on the £16m scheme, which sees traffic from the A419 taken over the top of the Commonhead roundabout, close to junction 15 of the M4, began last September.

And although it may be causing some delays for drivers travelling to work at the moment, it is hoped the new flyover will reduce congestion at the roundabout and improve journey times and safety in the long run.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "Motorists should be able to see mounds of earth being built up and these will be used to carry the approach roads.

"The clay that has been used to build up these mounds has been taken from another part of the site, so it is all about recycling materials on the same site."

The project was under consultation for many months and faced objection from a number of Swindon residents.

To help contain noise a fence was put up along the western edge of the road.

The work has also uncovered a number of archaeological finds.

In January workmen discovered three iron horseshoes and a medieval arrowhead.

As well as recovering the artefacts, archaeologists may also have found evidence that the Roman road was in use well into the medieval period.

At the time Neil Holbrook, an archaeologist for the Highways Agency said the fact that Romans didn't have horseshoes is evidence that the road has been important for the last 2,000 years.

The next stage in the works will be to build the approach roads leading up to the bridge, due to take place in the summer.

Work will then start on the bridge itself.

"This summer hopefully people will start to see what it will look like when it is completed," said the spokesman.

The scheme is due to be completed by the end of the year.