The M4 motorway between London and Bristol is 30 on Saturday.
On a wet December morning in 1971, the last section, between Reading and Maidenhead, was officially opened by the then Environment Minister Michael Heseltine, allowing traffic to travel on the first through-road link between the two cities.
The completion of the motorway was of great significance to the people of Wiltshire and Berkshire where the motorway finally relieved the heavy traffic using the A4 through New-bury, Hungerford and Marlborough.
The motorway is account-able not only for the great success and growth Swin-don has achieved in the last 20-30 years but also for the success of the South West as a whole.
It created huge cuts in journey times one hour to London and 45 minutes to Bristol made Swindon ideal for major companies to relocate to because of its accessibility.
This came at a cost though, with the stretch from Liddington to Wootton Bassett costing £2.8m pounds at the time.
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