FURTHER changes to the controversial Bruce Street Bridges junction are being considered by Swindon Borough Council

Last year drivers vented their confusion over ‘bizarre’ give-way signs to the left when crossing from the bridges onto Rodbourne Road.

Swindon Borough Council has tested out a possible change with give-way signs moved to the Kemble Drive approach to the junction, in a bid to ease traffic and end driver confusion. 

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: "We have conducted trials at the junction close to Kemble Drive for the past few months in an effort to assess whether any alterations need to be made to improve traffic flow.

“We always carry out a review whenever significant changes are made to a road junction and local councillors and nearby traders were also keen that we looked into ways of making the junction operate even more efficiently.

“So far we have changed the road markings, altered lane alignments and adjusted the signal timings and we are now assessing the impact of those changes before deciding whether to change the priority at this part of the junction. If a change in priority is deemed to be the best way forward it will be a permanent solution so we need to be confident it will help solve the overall problem.”

The £8m scheme, which began work in September 2014 and ended early last year, was part of the Great Western Way traffic improvement scheme, which aimed to improve traffic flow and reduce queuing time at four different junctions - Bruce Street Bridges, the Cockleberry Roundabout, the North Star roundabout and the Transfer Bridges junction.

The project saw the replacement of the four mini-roundabouts with a more efficient single roundabout with the introduction of a traffic signal-controlled junction at Newcombe Drive to improve access into the Hawksworth Industrial Estate from Great Western Way.

There were further problems when a hole appeared in the road in November last year, something which the council said was not linked to the remodelling of the roundabout.

Contractors were sent in after the surface of the road was found to be collapsing and two lanes were closed off on Great Western Way heading from B&Q as well as a lane on the roundabout itself.