Drivers face months of roadworks at busy Southampton junction
The work is designed to speed up journey times
Southampton drivers will face months of roadworks as a £1.8m scheme to create a new bus lane gets under way.
Work at the junction of Coxford Road and Lords Hill Way will last for about 21 weeks.
The scheme will create a new rapid bus lane, allowing buses, taxis and cyclists turning left from Coxford Road towards Lordshill to bypass the signalised junction at Lords Hill Way.
The move will support local bus companies as well as buses travelling from the new park and ride at Adanac Park.
The 1,000-space park and ride is expected to open later this year to serve University Hospital Southampton.
Southampton City Council has confirmed that the northbound lane of Coxford Road will be closed from the junction with Greywell Avenue to the junction with Lords Hill Way and Lordswood Road for the duration of the works.
This will allow access southbound towards the hospital, but there will be a diversion route via Warren Avenue and A35 Winchester Road for people leaving the hospital wishing to access Lords Hill Way and the M271.
All vehicle and pedestrian access to Rosewood School will be maintained via Aldermoor Road.
But the junction of Aldermoor Road with Coxford Road will also be closed for the duration of the works.
The council has also confirmed that the Coxford and Lords Hill Way junction will be resurfaced at the end of the work and this will require a full, overnight closure of the junction.
But further details are yet to be confirmed.
Cllr Jeremy Moulton, deputy council leader, said the scheme would result in "improved journey times for drivers in the area".
He added: "University Hospital Southampton is accessed by thousands of staff and patients every single year, and this understandably has an impact on traffic in the surrounding areas.
"This scheme will greatly enhance the Hospital Park and Ride, supporting a reliable and efficient service that will enable more people to shift away from car use to access the site."