Welcome to your Moonrakers newsletter

Thank you for signing up to this newsletter. It will provide key updates on the Moonrakers junction improvement scheme and details of any road closures which may affect you, your staff or your customers. If you'd like any more information, you can find this on our website or by contacting the team.

The £2.8m scheme will see the double roundabout replaced with a traffic light controlled junction, which will improve traffic flow, reduce journey times and make the junction more accessible for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

Progress on site

Progress on site

Our contractors are working on drainage across the site before foundations can be laid and the road can be built back up. 

BT have also completed work on the north east corner of the junction to future-proof their fibre optic network, which services North Swindon, Cirencester and Gloucester. Work has now begun to clear this site ready for the left turn lane into Beechcroft Road. 

An update on the Whitworth Road closure

As you may be aware, on 14 September we had to partially close Whitworth Road for an initial period of three weeks to complete work in the area.

We would like to inform residents that we are having to extend the closure, as we are waiting for a utility company to complete required work to bury their cables and pipework underground and build manholes.

We will use this additional closure time to progress other work in the area faster, such as the drainage work on this section of the junction, which will save time and reduce costs.

We are currently unable to provide a firm date for when the road will reopen, as this will be dependent on the length of time the utility company takes to complete their work. However, we expect the closure to remain in place at least until early November.

The current diversion route will be maintained during this time and all footpaths will be kept open so that residents can continue to access the shops.

Your questions answered

On our recent social media post a number of questions were raised about the Moonrakers improvement scheme. We have enlisted the help of our Highways team to answer some of your most commonly asked questions.

Where are the large pots that were previously on Cricklade Road?

The large plant pots that were previously on Cricklade Road have been temporarily moved into storage. The pots will be returning to site with new trees at the end of the scheme.

The silver birch trees that were originally in the pots have been re-homed in the nearby Hreod Burna Urban Forest.

Why is there nobody on site on weekends?

Roadworks in built up areas are normally paused on Sundays to give residents living in the nearby area a break from the noise. 

Our contractors are currently operating a five day working week, which will allow them to complete the scheme within the timeframe agreed. If we were to ask the contractor to work on Saturdays it would cost the Council additional money.  

Why can't you open Whitworth Road on weekends?

We are unable to lift the Whitworth Road closure on weekends as the site would be unsafe for motorists to navigate. Opening the road on weekends would also require the traffic lights to be reprogrammed every Friday evening and Monday morning, which would result in lost working time on site. 

Other news

A big thank you to our contractors

We’d like to extend our thanks to our contractors, Alun Griffiths Ltd, for keeping one of our little residents out of harm’s way last week. The young child had wandered down Cricklade Road unaccompanied and stepped out into live traffic. Luckily three members of the team had noticed the young child and managed to stop the traffic before any harm was done, the team made sure the child was safe until a very concerned mother arrived a few moments later.

A local resident had watched the scene unfold and bought out tea and biscuits to thank the team for helping the child.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like further information about the £2.8m improvement scheme and key timings, visit the website via the link below. Here you can also find a selection of Frequently Asked Questions such as the funding of the scheme, what bus services will be impacted and what is being done about illegal parking around the junction.  

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Get in touch

Got a question or something we can help with? Don't hesitate to get in touch. 

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Swindon Borough Council, Civic Offices, Euclid Street, Swindon, SN1 2JH