NINE weeks of major road works on the A36 at Wellow and Ower are set to begin on January 17th.

The £1.9 million project involves further safety measures on the notorious stretch of trunk road and resurfacing of part of the stretch between the Canada Common and Ower roundabouts.

The safety work and surfacing are being carried out at the same time to minimise disruption. They are expected to be completed by February 25th, but further resurfacing of the A36 dual carriageway between the Ower Roundabout and the M27 is scheduled to run from February 14th to March 23rd.

That resurfacing will be take place as the Wellow activity is winding down, but there will be shorter diversions to take traffic from the Ower Roundabout to the A326 and M27.

The Highways Agency has announced that through traffic will be re-routed.

Westbound vehicles will be diverted from Ower along the M27 and A31 to Ringwood and then north along the A338 to Salisbury, where it will rejoin the A36.

The eastbound diversion will take drivers along the A27 from the Brickworth Corner traffic lights, through Whiteparish and then on to the A3090.

With safety cameras already installed on the A36, which carries a total of 18,000 vehicles per day through Wellow, Highways Agency project manager Phil Hardy Bishop said: "The next stage of the work will see new pedestrian crossing facilities installed along the route and new road markings, signs and surface treatment to reinforce the speed limit."

The new surface is designed to provide a quieter road and improved skid resistance.

"The diversions will mean longer journey times and drivers should allow longer for their journeys," said Mr Hardy Bishop

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley said this week: "Whilst I was disappointed with the delay, the good news is that there is a little extra money available and there will now be flashing speed warning signs at the Plaitford end of the village. At the public exhibition, which I arranged earlier this year, many people expressed the view that these signs were needed, so I have been pressing for their inclusion.

"I've also learned that the proposal for a roundabout at the junction with Whinwhistle Road has not been forgotten and is being actively pursued as an option for the future. I have a complete set of plans in my office and would be happy to answer any queries that constituents might have."

She said the safety cameras had "gone some way to alleviating the problems", but stressed: "It is clear that more needs to be done and the good news is that pressure from myself and the public means that more is finally being done."

The work will be carried out by Lafarge, supervised by Atkins.