It was part of a road-building scheme to provide a bypass for the villages of Semington, to the west of the new structure, and Berryfield to the north of the canal, ending on the southern edge of Melksham.

In order to provide the necessary headroom of 5.5 metres (18 ft 1 in), the road was built in a cutting at this point.

[2] The concrete structure incorporates 529 tonnes of steel reinforcement, and the cost of the bypass scheme was £12 million.

The aqueduct was opened on 3 March 2004 by Fleur de Rhé-Philipe, representing Wiltshire County Council.

The structure was designed by Ove Arup and Partners, and built by the civil engineering contractor Alfred McAlpine.