THE first new road bridge in 200 years to be built over the Wilts and Berks Canal is nearing completion.

The bridge is just west of Purton Road's junction with the section of Thamesdown Drive, the new northern orbital road which is due to open this Thursday.

Beneath the bridge is a 30-metre tunnel that will take the waterway, once it is restored, from the north to the south side of Purton Road.

The £500,000 bridge will leave the way open for future restoration of the canal and enable the restored Mouldon Lock, the last of eight locks dropping the North Wilts Canal out of Swindon, to be re-used.

Henry Smith, chairman of the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, said: "This is a major step towards taking a navigable North Wilts Canal into Swindon, putting the town at the centre of the Wessex Waterway network."

There will be a footpath and cycle track alongside the canal.

The canal crossing was built by Edmund Nuttall, of Swindon, the contractor building the new northern orbital road.

Project-managed by the council, the tunnel has been paid for by contributions from the council, North Swindon Development Company and Wilts and Berks Canal Trust.