Southampton city centre ring road will be made one-way

The north and west sections of the ring road which encompasses East Park and Watts Park, as well as Solent University and the Guildhall, will be affected.

It will be shut in a clockwise direction from February 5 while a redesign of the route is carried out.

The roadworks are set to last until the summer - and are expected to have a significant impact on traffic.

READ MORE: Five major schemes set to improve transport in Southampton

The works will see new and improved lights designed to speed up traffic installed along the ring road and the junction with Devonshire Road will be removed entirely, being replaced by a 'pocket park'.

The council claims the redesign will ultimately cut journey times for drivers and bus users on London Road and West Park Road.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment said: “Drivers across Southampton will benefit from faster and safer journeys thanks to these changes, which utilise state-of-the-art technology to improve traffic flows."

A series of diversions will also be put in place while the roadworks are carried out - with the London Road junction becoming right turn only, as opposed to left turn only as it currently is.

In February or March this year, the junction with Palmerston Road will also be shut.

East Park Terrace is already closed for works, and will reopen in the spring - becoming a bus, taxi and cycle only road.

The work will take place from the junction of Brunswick Place and London Road to the junction of Havelock Road and West Park Road by the BBC Studios.

The anti-clockwise one-way system means cars will only be able to drive from Charlotte Place to the Civic Centre Junction.

Any traffic going east will need to use New Road and St Andrews’s Road to travel to Charlotte Place.

The scheme, carried out by Balfour Beatty Living Places, is paid for out of £57m of Government funding awarded to the city to improve connectivity and sustainable travel.

The traffic signals getting an upgrade are at Bedford Place, London Road, Commercial Road and West Park Road.

They will have new technology to allow it to adapt to traffic demand and improve journey times.

Bus priority will also help buses crossing the ring road more efficiently at two key junctions, the council said.

Footpaths and crossings will be upgraded to make it safer for cyclists, pedestrians and those with limited mobility cross between the city centre and London Road, Bedford Place, the Mayflower Theatre and the city parks.

Cllr Keogh said: “The direct crossings for people walking and cycling create better routes into the City Centre, and bus priority is helping to make buses more reliable in Southampton.”

The scheme was developed following feedback from residents and businesses, with more than half of the respondents agreeing with the proposals, the council said.