Partial opening of Blunsdon bypass

6:24pm Friday 9th May 2008

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A MAJOR milestone in the construction of the £65.5m A419 Blunsdon Bypass between Cirencester and the M4 has been reached with the opening of a new bridge to carry Lady Lane across the new road.

Traffic was diverted from the old Lady Lane route onto the newly completed bridge spanning the new bypass route in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The traffic lights that controlled the junction of Lady Lane and the A419 have been replaced with a new set of temporary traffic signals at the junction of the A419 with Highworth Road. These traffic signals will remain until completion of construction works.

Highways Agency project manager Khalid Pervez said: "The completion of this new bridge and its opening to traffic is a major step in achieving the Highways Agency's aim of reducing journey times and improving safety along this stretch of the A419. It represents a major achievement for all those involved with the scheme.

"When completed the scheme will provide Blunsdon with a two mile dual carriageway bypass and a new two-level junction which will replace Turnpike roundabout to provide a safer link for traffic between local roads and the A419.

"The forthcoming months will see completion of further parts of the new bypass with road users and residents starting to see significant changes as a result of our investment."

Work started on the Blundson Bypass in September 2006 and is due to be completed by winter 2008.