NEV highway schemes

White Hart Junction is a key gateway into Swindon, connecting the A420 with the A419. The new slip road provides a safer and quicker connection to the M4 and A419.

• Time: October 2019 (railway) and summer 2020 (carriageway) to May 2022 (whole scheme completed)
• Cost: £30.3m - With external funding awarded from the Department of Transport (DfT) and Local Growth Fund (LGF)
• Contractor: Octavius (previously known as Osborne infrastructure ltd)

Benefits

• Traffic signals were added at the White Hart roundabout as well as a new northbound slip road on to the A419. This replaced the old slip road on Merlin Way which was not up to current design standards and did not give heavy good vehicles sufficient time to match their speed with vehicles on the A419. A new bridge over the railway was built to accommodate this.
• The southbound slip road from the A419 on to the White Hart roundabout was widened
• The entry point off White Hart junction on to Ermin Street was closed and replaced with a new section of road and priority junction off Oxford Road. There is now an increase in the number of lanes on the roundabout and the existing footbridge was retained.
• A newly resurfaced roundabout
• A new allotment for residents

White Hart Junction plan

• Time: early 2021 to May 2022
• Cost: £8.4m
• Contractor: Dyer and Butler

Benefits

• Extended the existing roundabout southwards to provide additional capacity
• Revised access road to Sainsbury’s car park and Truckstop to tie in with the new layout
• Increased the size and improved the alignment of the Thornhill Road entry arm and the A420 eastbound exit arm to improve traffic flow
• Signalised both the A420 entry points and Thornhill Way entry point (maintaining priority access for the Sainsbury’s and St Margaret’s Retail Park entry)
• Re-signalised the Gablecross police station junction with signal timings linked to Gablecross and Symmetry Park junctions to improve traffic flow along the A420
• Added energy-efficient LEDs and new street furniture

• Time: Jan 2021 to July 2022
• Cost: £7.3 million
• Contractor: R&W Civil Engineering

Nythe Junction benefits

• The A4312 Oxford Road was widened to allow two approach lanes in each direction
• The pedestrian crossing was upgraded to be more user friendly for pedestrians and cyclists
• Drainage systems were improved with new flooding measures implemented
• Smart traffic signals with queuing detection loops were installed
• Verges planted with hard-wearing grass
• New energy-efficient LEDs and new street furniture 

Piccadilly roundabout benefits

• A larger central island, widening of the road on approaches, improvements to the splitter islands (on the approach to a roundabout) and improved road markings
• Controlled crossings that are more user friendly for pedestrians and cyclists were installed and upgrades made to drainage facilities
• The existing bus stops on the roundabout and immediate approach were relocated to Dorcan Way
• New energy-efficient LEDs and new street furniture including bus stops, traffic lights and kerbing

Major improvement works to the Greenbridge roundabout junction were carried out as part of the programme to improve the routes into the town to keep pace with the future development of the NEV.

• Time: April 2016 to February 2017
• Cost:  £5.3m
• Contractor: Wills Brothers

Benefits

• More lanes were added to the roundabout
• Entry and exit routes were widened
• Traffic signals were installed on all approaches
• Additional pedestrian and cycle crossings were included
• A new exit from the Greenbridge retail park to reduce traffic on the roundabout was installed

Greenbridge roundabout plan

The Hub/Symmetry Park junction (developer delivered)

• The Hub/Symmetry Park is the first of the New Eastern Villages (NEV) developments to be granted outline planning permission. Once completed, it will comprise employment (logistics and distribution) land use. A new access has been created on to the A420 to serve the employment areas and new residential development to the south.

A420 eastern access at Rowborough

• A new road will be built under the railway line near to Acorn Bridge to allow access from the A420 to the New Eastern Villages (NEV)

A420 pedestrian/cycling crossing

• To ensure safe and convenient access for pedestrians and cyclists from the A420 to the New Eastern Villages (NEV), additional dedicated routes are needed. Options are currently being investigated for a new crossing to be erected across the A420.

As part of the Great Western Railway electrification project and in partnership with the Council, Network Rail replaced two pedestrian level crossings near the village of South Marston with a single new footbridge.

A new public footpath has also been created along the northern side of the railway to link both footpaths to the new bridge. The new bridge opened to pedestrians in early 2018.

Whilst the current setting for the bridge is rural in nature, land to the north of the railway forms part of the New Eastern Villages development (NEV). This bridge forms a key route for pedestrians and cyclists passing from the northern part of the NEV development to the NEV developments, south of the A420. This bridge will become an important link because the southern villages of the NEV will contain the bulk of community facilities, including: health, employment, retail and secondary education provision.

In line with housing build-out, we intend for Equality Act compliant ramps to be constructed.  An initial feasibility study has been undertaken for these ramps and high level design options will be consulted on in due course.