MOTORISTS were today facing major diversions after one of Hampshire's main routes was closed.

The A36 through Wellow and Plaitford will be closed for up to nine weeks while highways bosses carry out £770,000 of road repairs.

A new surface will be laid on a one-mile stretch and much-needed safety measures will be installed.

The work follows the Daily Echo's A36 Stop the Carnage campaign that began in 2003 when two pensioners died in an eight-vehicle pile-up on the road near West Wellow.

Following the crash, volunteer minibus driver Trevor Clayton of Dean Road, Bitterne, Southampton, was convicted by magistrates of driving without due care and attention.

Mr Clayton, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, was handed a six-month driving ban, a £500 fine and ordered to pay £650 costs.

He had been taking cancer patients on a day trip from Countess Mountbatten House hospice, West End, when the minibus collided with a truck.

Six other vehicles were also involved in the horrific crash, which claimed the lives of Winifred Lock and Mortimer O'Sullivan, both 84.

The accident sparked a massive campaign to boost safety measures on a road grimly dubbed Death Valley by residents.

More than 2,500 Hampshire residents and motorists sign the petition calling for action - and the campaign even attracted the attention of transport minister David Jamieson, who paid a special visit to Wellow.

Today marks a victory for all those people who joined the Echo's campaign for a safer road in the wake of the minibus crash.

Highways Agency project manager Phil Hardy-Bishop said: "The safety improvement work will see new pedestrian crossing facilities installed along the route and new road markings, signs and surface treatment to reinforce the speed limit."

He added: "The safety improvements have been combined with resurfacing work that was already scheduled to take place in 2005.

"By combining both schemes we plan to reduce the overall length of time it will take to complete the work."

Westbound traffic will be diverted via the A338, while eastbound traffic faces a detour on the A27 and A3090.

The extended roadworks are scheduled to finish on March 23.