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Search the Public Notice PortalAn unused road which cost around £40m to build could open next year.
The Southern Connector Road was built to link the 8,000-home New Eastern Villages development near South Marston, Swindon, with the M4.
The road was initially scheduled for completion in 2023, but the route has remained closed after a series of defects were discovered and it was deemed unsafe.
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Swindon Borough Council is now seeking a contractor to carry out remedial works, with hopes that the road can be opened to HGVs and construction traffic in the coming months.
This comes after complaints from residents about lorries and trucks serving the major housing development using the nearby residential roads.
Speaking to the BBC, plumber Danny O'Reilly said: "There is loads more traffic in the area, loads of trucks and lorries, it's manic.
He added: "It's just so irritating. It would be better if there was an alternative."
The road was due to open before cracks appeared in the carriageway and surrounding footpaths.
Movement was also detected in the bridge structure, raising safety concerns.
The road's constructor, Buckingham Group, went into administration in September 2023 before the road could be finalised, and handed it over to Swindon Borough Council.
Councillor Nick Gardiner, Swindon Borough Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said the authority's priority is to get "lorries onto the Southern Connector Road as soon as it is safe to do so".
He added: "If everything goes to plan, construction traffic could be using the route from next spring."
Cllr Gardiner said the council must also "explore longer-term solutions and funding options that could eventually allow the route to be opened more widely in the future".
Previous reports have suggested the bridge may need to be demolished and rebuilt before the road can be opened to all traffic.
Labour councillor Chris Watts said: "The financial burden for rectifying the road is immense, with the bridge at the centre of the defects requiring significant remedy."
Adding: "The council will need to keep a sharp focus on this project of moving goalposts."
The road was reopened in March 2025 solely to be used by construction traffic for the New Eastern Villages expansion.
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