Transport improvements have been completed along the Marchwood Bypass and at the Rushington roundabout.

Hampshire County Council has finished work on the new bus priority entrance onto the Marchwood Bypass.

New bus shelters have also been installed on the Bypass and at the Hounsdown Business Park. A new 300-metre bus lane with dedicated traffic lights, known as a bus gate, has been introduced.

The existing cycle and pedestrian facilities have been upgraded, with an improved crossing point at Rushington roundabout, including new traffic signals and road markings.

From September 1, the Bluestar 9 bus route has been running more frequently, with buses now every 20 minutes during the day between Blackfield and Southampton from Monday to Saturday.

A new early bus from Southampton leaves at 5.25am. The Monday to Saturday evening service has been increased to every 30 minutes until 10.10pm, then hourly, with the last bus from Southampton at 12.10am.

On Sundays, there is a later last bus at 8.10pm from Southampton. On Monday to Saturday evenings, buses for Southampton now pass through Marchwood, providing hourly services in both directions, running until midnight.

Safety improvements have also been made to the Rushington roundabout.

These include raising the kerb height to act as a barrier to stop vehicles from mounting the verge, improving the road surface for vehicles circulating the roundabout, and realigning the footway to increase the distance to the carriageway.

The improvements aim to provide more frequent and punctual bus journeys, offering travellers between the Waterside area of the New Forest and Southampton a wider choice of travel options.

Councillor Kirsty North, Hampshire County Council’s cabinet member for Universal Services, said: "Following Hampshire’s investment in new shelters and bus priority measures, I am pleased to see the bus operator, Bluestar, respond by increasing the frequency of bus services.

"We know local residents value having public transport services in this area and we will continue to work with operators to monitor bus usage, to support the delivery of better bus services and to promote travel by bus."