Highway improvement schemes

Over the coming year, Southampton City Council will be investing in excess of 10 million pounds in a programme of improvements of the City’s road and footway network. The works are aimed at keeping traffic moving and generally improving the city’s streets both visually, and from a practical perspective.

Many of the city’s roads are being resurfaced. Tired, worn out and pot-hole ridden carriageways are being replaced with a smoother more hardwearing surface that lasts for many years, and not only provides a more pleasant experience for motorists and cyclists, but greatly reduces the levels of road noise for local residents.

The Highways schemes are not limited to the resurfacing of the city’s roads, they also aim to provide bold and challenging new road and footway layouts and innovative design features.

Recent Highways revamps have included the award winning London Road project. Inspired by the European concept of a so called ‘naked road’, the scheme involved clearing the road of street clutter, widening the pavements to improve pedestrian access, and installing stylish new street furniture to create a relaxed, and visually appealing city centre thoroughfare. As Councillor Matt Dean, Cabinet member for Environment and Transport stated: “The finished product looks great and is a credit to the Highway’s Service and to the city.”

The multi million pound rejuvenation of the city’s newly designated QE2 Mile is also nearing completion, having undergone a complete transformation over the previous 18 months. Roads have been re-laid, and pavements repaved with attractive Purbeck stone and granite kerbs, providing a sense of continuity between Town Quay and London Road. The final phase of the scheme is currently underway in the Holy Rood area of the High Street, and will see a radical overhaul of one of the most significant spaces within the Old Town. Once completed in late 2010, the area should recreate the sense of a pleasant urban square in the heart of the city. It is hoped that the improvements will benefit local residents, and help to revive the area by enticing businesses back into the city centre.

The improvement of the QE2 Mile have also been highly commended at a national Highways and Transportation awards ceremony, demonstrating that the city is at the forefront of design and innovation when it comes to transportation, creating a city of which residents can feel justifiably proud.

The work of the Highways Department is not limited purely to road and footway repairs, and also overseas major structural repairs to the city’s bridges. Following on from the recent work on Millbrook and Redbridge Flyovers, Central Bridge is now due for repair. Work is predicted to last until early 2011, and will ensure the bridge remains safe and structurally sound for decades to come.

Further up to the minute information on these and many other works is available on the road works page.

Traffic alerts to enable you to plan your journey are available on the Southampton ROMANSE website.

All start dates are subject to change, and durations are approximate depending on weather conditions.

Contact Us: Highways

Address: Highways
Southampton City Council
45 Castle Way
SOUTHAMPTON SO14 2PD
Telephone: 023 8083 4201
e-mail: highways@southampton.gov.uk