Mead Way still set to open at the end of November
The council apologised to residents and businesses for the ongoing work at Mead Way as they enter the final weeks of the project
Last updated 2nd Nov 2021
Swindon Borough Council is still confident that the long over-running works to widen the road, which has seen it shut since March 2020 will be finished by the end of November.
The good news is that it hasn’t extended that expected completion date after moving the deadline from mid-October to late October to November then to late November in a matter of days earlier this autumn.
The council put out a highways update newsletter which said: “We’d like to apologise to residents and businesses for the ongoing work at Mead Way and thank you for your patience as we enter the final few weeks of the project.
“It has been well publicised that progress has recently been severely hampered by having to move a host of utility cables, pipes and ducts one by one before our contractor could move on to completing the final road surface.”
The update says that moving cables and pipes under the surface has very nearly finished and will even bring some unexpected benefits: “The final pieces of utility work are being completed with the latest of these involving Openreach diverting its cables away from the new northbound lane that is being created as part of the scheme. The company also took the opportunity to double its capacity along the road which is a major route within its network in Swindon.
“On the road itself, our contractor has begun to lay the base course of asphalt for the new lane alongside the new kerbing that is being installed. The old roundabout has been removed and this section of road is now being lifted up to improve water drainage. By increasing the height of the road, surface water will run off to the sides of the road into the drainage gullies, improving the safety for road users. This requires a large amount of foundation stone to be brought to the site, which is then compacted before any more tarmac is laid.”
Traffic lights are being installed and the software will be tested soon, including a feature which will allow the fire brigade to turn lights green in an emergency.
Waterproofing the bridge over the subway will start imminently and a new safety barrier has been installed.
A burst water main flooded the underpass a few weeks back the newsletter said, and mud was left on the path after Thames Water pumped away the flood.
The newsletter finishes with words that may gladden any west Swindon motorist: “It is not currently expected that this will cause any further delays to the scheme. The contractor is still on track for a late November finish.”
Two weeks ago, councillors and senior officers told the authority’s scrutiny committee how sorry they were that project has over-run by more than a year.
While the project started in March 2020 it was badly affected by the first lockdown and difficulties in getting staff in from utilities companies to move cables and pipes – and there were several problems with cables not being where they were originally expected.
The £4.8m budget has been overspent by £550,000.