Major improvements to city's Northern Ring Road to start in October

The works will improve traffic flows and provide better, safer access for people walking and cycling

Southampton City Council is set to commence a major project to facilitate more reliable journeys and improve walking and cycling access on the A3024 Northern Ring Road.

The scheme is being delivered as part of the council’s Transforming Cities Fund programme and will include the installation of new traffic signals, which will be intelligently coordinated and upgraded with dynamic technology to improve traffic flows. The works will also provide better and safer connectivity for people walking and cycling into and out of the city centre, the city’s parks and other surrounding areas.

Works start on 11 October and will be delivered over approximately eight weeks through the Balfour Beatty SCAPE contract which provides a delivery framework focused on collaboration, sustainability and social value. Works will commence with the widening of Charlotte Place roundabout through the introduction of a third lane at the East Park Terrace junction. This will create a safer lane arrangement and increase road capacity. 

To the north of the ring road, Grosvenor Square will be made one-way southbound, eliminating the impact of vehicles turning into the road. As well as a new contraflow cycle lane to improve connectivity for cyclists, the junction will also receive improvements to the traffic signals and pedestrian crossings, benefiting all users of this junction.

The final part of the works will take place at the parking layby on Brunswick Place. This will be resurfaced and will also see the introduction of infrastructure in preparation for the city’s first on-street electric vehicle charging points.

The works are part of wider improvements to enhance the central function of the Northern Ring Road; providing effective traffic connections to other key routes and ensuring that traffic can move efficiently around the city centre to access destinations. Coupled with measures to enable more sustainable travel and thereby further reduce congestion, these changes will prove vital to building resilience in the city’s transport network as the city centre continues to grow and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth, says:

“We’re excited to get this Transforming Cities project in the city centre underway. As we continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic, our roads and how we manage them will prove more important than ever before in bolstering our local economy. This work represents a huge and timely investment in our city’s road network and complements all the other great work we’re doing to Get Southampton Moving. Encouraging a shift towards more sustainable travel is an important part of this and as such this work includes a number of improvements to the walking and cycling provision on the Northern Ring Road. This will make it safer, easier and more enjoyable to get around by bike and on foot, while also contributing to a greener, more liveable city centre for everyone.”

Brian Hammersley, Balfour Beatty Living Places Contract Director, says:

“Through the Scape Civil Engineering framework, we are delighted to be working alongside Southampton City Council to successfully and safely deliver these essential improvement works. We look forward to building on our long-standing relationship with the council, whilst also benefiting the local community; making Southampton a more connected and vibrant space for cyclists and pedestrians and improving traffic congestion around the city centre.”

Full details of the works including traffic management plans are available on the council's transport website.