Work to reconstruct Swindon's Akers Way to start next month

One of the main arterial routes into Swindon will finally be given a new lease of life.

Akers Way will undergo a major 20-week reconstruction from Monday, 10 April which will see sections of the road closed to through traffic. 

The £900,000 project is designed to address problems with the deteriorating concrete base of the road. A complex but cost-effective solution has been devised which combines modifications to the concrete road base slabs and includes a specially designed thicker road surfacing material layer on top. 

The design will increase the flexibility of the road and provide a longer-lasting protective surface over the road structure below. The contractor will also be carrying out improvements to the parking along the road.

The scheme will be split into a number of phases with specific traffic management arrangements for each phase of works. The diversion routes will be clearly signed in both directions for the duration of the works and advanced notification signs will be in place three weeks prior to the start of the work. 

The first phase will start on the first day of the Easter holidays (10 April), for approximately six weeks, and includes the whole section of Akers Way between St Mary’s Church roundabout and Cheney Manor Industrial Estate Road roundabout. 

The diversion route for this section will be via Cheney Manor Industrial Estate Road, Darby Close and Cheney Manor Road.  There will be no access to Akers Way from the residential section of Cheney Manor Road including Harvey Grove, Brooklands Avenue and Manor Gardens.

Once the first phase is complete, the contractor will move to the next phase which will be a 200m stretch on the western section of Akers Way from the Purton Road Roundabout towards Nova Hreod Academy for approximately three weeks. 

Phase three will follow on from this and will see the section of road from the Purton Road Roundabout towards the Nova Hreod Academy completed, for approximately three weeks.

Phase four will move to the eastern side of the Nova Hreod Academy to Cheney Manor Industrial Estate Road roundabout for approximately four weeks. Bollards will be removed at the end of Slade Street creating a link to Bates Way which will allow residents of Beany View and Slade Street to exit out onto Moredon Road. 

Finally, phase five will see the closure of the Nova Hreod Academy junction. The work will be carried out here between 31 July and 23 August during the summer holidays and just prior to the release of the GCSE exam results.

The diversion for phases 2, 3, 4 & 5 will be along Purton Road, Moredon Road, Cheney Manor Road, and Akers Way. 

Letters have been sent out to nearby residents, schools and businesses this week, while the Council has also informed large courier services, emergency services, public transport services and supermarkets regarding the inconvenience the works will cause. 

Regular updates on the road improvement scheme will be publicised through the Council’s fortnightly Highways News e-newsletter www.swindon.gov.uk/newsletter 

Cllr Keith Williams, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “The road surface along Akers Way has to be one of the worst, if not the worst, in the Borough so these improvement works are essential, as I’m sure motorists who use the route would agree 

“Akers Way is a main route into Swindon from North and West Swindon so there will inevitably be a lot of disruption to local residents and motorists. It is therefore essential that people who would ordinarily use Akers Way, plan their journeys in advance, allow extra time for their journeys and use the diversion routes. 

“As a result of the road closure, other routes will inevitably see an increase in traffic so I would encourage people to consider alternative travel arrangements whether it be sharing a car journeys with a neighbour or using public transport.”