Fleming Way subway in Swindon town centre to CLOSE next month
It's part of the wider £33m regeneration of Fleming Way
Last updated 28th Jul 2023
It's been confirmed a major pedestrian route in Swindon town centre will be closing next month.
The subway that runs underneath Fleming Way is shutting to the public on 14 August, as Swindon Borough Council continues its regeneration of the area.
The route will then by demolished by Colas, the main contractor of the project.
Why is the subway being closed?
Swindon Borough Council is attempting to transform Fleming Way into a major gateway for the town centre.
The scheme is costing £33 million, with £25 million coming from the government's Future High Streets Fund. The remaining £8 million is being paid by Swindon Borough Council and the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
When finished, the project will include a new bus interchange, cycle lane facilities, a pedestrian zone, more than 170 new trees and over 100 bee-friendly plants. Fleming Way is going to be focussed on sustainable transport and will no longer be open for private vehicles.
The subway is being removed to make the road the same level as the town centre shopping area. It will then be converted into a large pedestrian crossing, controlled by traffic lights.
When will the Fleming Way renovation be complete?
When construction work started at Fleming Way in April 2022, it was due to finish in Autumn 2024.
In September 2022, Swindon Borough Council's Conservative administration said it was "as confident as it can be" that the deadline would be met.
Later that year, David Renard, then leader of the local authority, doubled down on this pledge. He told our Senior Reporter Matt Hutchinson that the Fleming Way scheme was "on plan".
However, earlier this month, Swindon Borough Council's new Labour leader revealed that the regeneration had been severely delayed.
Jim Robbins told Greatest Hits Radio that the new completion date is now late-2025 "at the earliest".
He said this was due to construction workers finding unexpected utilities, such as electrical cables and extra pipes, under the road.
We have contacted the local authority for more details.