Where are the works taking place?
The works are located along the northern and western sections of the Ring Road (Havelock Road, Cumberland Place and Brunswick Place) from the Charlotte Place roundabout, where the Leonardo Hotel (formerly Jurys Inn Hotel) is, and including the junctions of London Road, Devonshire Road, Commercial Road and West Park Road, past the BBC studios to the Civic Centre junction.
When will the works finish?
Completion will be in Summer 2024.
Why are the works taking place?
The aim of the Ring Road project is to improve journey times for people driving along it, making buses at London Road and West Park Road more reliable through bus priority technology, and assisting people crossing the Ring Road on foot or cycle with safer and more direct crossings. These form part of the wider £57M Government funded Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme in Southampton and Hampshire aimed at improving connectivity and sustainable travel choices along the main transport corridors.
Have you consulted on the scheme?
The Ring Road scheme has been developed following close engagement with the public and businesses, with residents invited to feedback on the detailed design of this scheme along with other city centre proposals. More than half of the respondents agreed with the proposals.
What has happened so far?
These upcoming works form the third and final part of the TCF Ring Road scheme and they will ultimately result in quicker and safer journeys for drivers. Improvements have already been made in 2021 and 2022 at Grosvenor Square, which was changed to one-way south-bound, and where a new contraflow cycle lane was created as well as the installation of Southampton’s first on-street electric vehicle charging points. The parking layby on Brunswick Place was also resurfaced and electric vehicle charging points installed.
More on our previous phases of the Ring Road improvements can be found here.
What are the improvements?
Following the previous improvements at the Grosvenor Square junction with the Ring Road, we are now progressing improvements at:
Cumberland Place/Devonshire Road junction
At Devonshire Road, the traffic lights will be removed and the road will be closed at the Cumberland Place junction to allow the Ring Road to operate more smoothly, as the current signals are close to the Commercial Road/West Park Road junctions and cause additional delays to traffic. To ensure that people can still cross Cumberland Place, a push-button controlled pedestrian crossing will replace the traffic signals.
A new pocket park at the Devonshire Road junction will also be created through closing the Devonshire Road arm. The pocket park aims to create an attractive safe area with additional lighting, planting, and places to rest.
This closure was informed by both a public consultation as well as a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation in Spring 2021.
Please note, CGI is a representation of how the scheme may look and is subject to change.
London Road, Above Bar and Bedford Place Junction and West Park Road and Commercial Road junctions
Refurbishment and modernisation of the traffic signals at the Bedford Place/London Road and Commercial Road/West Park Road junctions with new technology that allows them to be more efficient, as well as adding Bus Priority to improve journey times and reliability.
Bus priority will assist buses in crossing the Ring Road more efficiently at these two key junctions, improving journey times and reliability.
Footways and resurfacing
Footways and sections of the road will be resurfaced or repaved with higher quality materials to further enrich the area.
People with limited mobility
Footpath and crossing facilities for people with limited mobility as well as those who are walking and cycling will be upgraded so it is safer and more direct to cross between the City Centre and London Road, Bedford Place, the Mayflower Theatre and the Parks.
Will the work impact my journey?
The works being undertaken will be significant, so to reduce their impact while still allowing local access, an anti-clockwise one-way system will be introduced during the works) on the section of the Ring Road from Charlotte Place to the Civic Centre. Traffic going west to east will need to use New Road and St Andrew’s Road to travel to Charlotte Place. Some bus services may be diverted onto alternative routes, please check with bus operators directly to see if there are any changes to your usual route.
Coming from Southampton Central Station into the City Centre, vehicles will not be able to turn left at the top of the hill at the Civic Centre junction, but will have to travel ahead along New Road in an easterly direction to join the one-way system at Six Dials junction.
This anti-clockwise only system will remain in place throughout the works until completion of the improvements.
People are strongly advised to plan their journeys in advance as their normal route may be different.
See @SCCHighways on X (formally known as Twitter) for up to the minute information on the City's roads.
Map of the diversion routes and alternative movements:
Click on the map to enlarge it in a new tab.
Will pedestrian access be maintained during the works?
Yes, pedestrian connections across and along the Ring Road will be maintained. However pedestrians may be advised to use alternate or temporary walkways at times, as well as temporary crossings. Cyclists and e-scooters may find some cycle lane approaches will be reduced or temporarily suspended during the works. Signage will be provided to indicate ‘do not overtake cyclists’ to vehicles.
Will it be difficult to access my property/business during the work?
Kings Park Road
Exit from Kings Park Avenue will be left turn only towards Charlotte Place Roundabout. Access to Kings Park Road will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way system in a westerly direction and turning right.
The access road to the Citizen’s Advice and student accommodation which is located between Kings Park Road and London Road off the Ring Road will be accessible via right turn entry and right turn exit.
London Road
The exit from London Road, which has previously been left-turn only, will temporarily become right-turn only during construction. Please be aware that this will revert to left-turn only once construction is complete.
Access to London Road will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way system in a westerly direction and turning right.
Bedford Place
Bedford Place will remain entrance only throughout construction, with no exit onto Cumberland Place.
Access to Bedford Place will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way system in a westerly direction and turning right.
Grosvenor Square (including the multi-storey car park)
Grosvenor Square will be exit only, with access possible through Bedford Place.
Access to the Grosvenor Square Multi-Storey Car Park from the Ring Road will be via Bedford Place/Grosvenor Square at all times during construction of the scheme, and exit will only be possible via Grosvenor Square onto the Ring Road. Access from and exit to the north will be via Bedford Place and Grosvenor Square.
These access arrangements are the same as the current arrangements.
Park Lane
Access to Park Lane will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way and turning right.
Devonshire Road and Polygon area
Devonshire Road/Ring Road junction will be closed from the start of construction and will remain closed following completion of the scheme. The vehicular junction will be replaced by a pedestrian crossing and a pocket park.
There are various ways to access Devonshire Road depending on what direction you travel from. From the Ring Road, you can access Devonshire Road via Bedford Place and Henstead Road into Devonshire Road. From the north, you can access Devonshire Road via London Road / Carlton Crescent / Wilton Avenue, or Banister Road / Carlton Road / Wilton Avenue, or Milton Road / Wilton Avenue into Devonshire Road.
Commercial Road
The exit from Commercial Road from the Mayflower will be right turn only onto the Ring Road.
Access to Commercial Road towards the Mayflower will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way system in a westerly direction and turning right.
West Park Road
West Park Road is usually a bus-only right turn, however through our works the right turn will be available to all. Please be aware this will return to bus-only once the works are complete. Access to West Park Road will be possible from the Ring Road by following the one-way system in a westerly direction and turning right.
Why are we introducing a one-way system?
The works being undertaken will be significant so to reduce their impact while still allowing local access, an anti-clockwise one-way system will be introduced during the works. Vehicles will only be able to travel anti-clockwise on the section of the Ring Road from Charlotte Place to the Civic Centre. Traffic going west to east will need to use New Road and St Andrew’s Road to travel to Charlotte Place.
To ensure there is minimal disruption, an intelligent temporary traffic signal system will provide smoother and more efficient traffic movements in the area during construction, by enabling quicker reaction times to live traffic situations.
The system also allows our City Watch and Intelligent Traffic Systems teams to remotely access and control the signals using our city’s network of CCTV to enable swifter reactions to traffic situations, rather than the simpler battery powered signals, which require an operative on-site to manage their staging patterns.
Will pedestrian, e-scooter, or cycle travel be restricted?
Pedestrian access will be maintained, however there may be temporary footways or temporary push-button crossings if we are working on existing footways or crossings, or pedestrians may be diverted onto an adjacent footway.
Cyclists and e-scooters may find some cycle lane approaches will be reduced or temporarily suspended during the works. Signage will be provided to indicate ‘do not overtake cyclists’ to vehicles.
How will you keep residents and businesses updated?
Individual properties or businesses directly affected by the scheme will be contacted by letter and email.
This main webpage will be kept up to date with the very latest information.
Why does it appear that there are few roadworkers on site?
In order to keep the one-way closure safely operating as well as a safe space for the welfare of our operatives, storage, and machinery a large closure extent is required around the Ring Road, and due to this there may appear to be some inactive work areas within the closure.
Will East Park Terrace be closed throughout?
East Park Terrace will remain closed until Spring 2024, and will then reopen for buses, taxis and cycles only. Please note emergency vehicles will be allowed access when necessary.
Whilst works are carried out to the East Park Terrace/Palmerston Road junction, entry to and exit from Palmerston Road will not be possible.
Two-way traffic will be maintained along New Road.
Is my bus route affected?
Whilst we work closely with the bus networks to alert them of any future or current works, the bus operators will design and maintain their own diversions or temporary stops. If you are planning to travel by bus during this scheme, please check in advance with your bus service to see if your route is affected: Bluestar / Unilink / First Solent Rangers / Xelabus
How are these works funded?
These works are paid for by the Government via a £57M grant awarded to the Southampton City Region (Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council) by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund.
How do I ask questions or find out more?
Our customer services team are contactable by email at CityCentreTCF@balfourbeatty.com. where we aim to get back to standard enquiries within 5 working days. Our team on site are trained to work considerately, so if you do have any concern or queries, please speak to them when they arrive on site and they will do their best to help.
For other general concerns not related to the scheme, please reach out to roadworks@southampton.gov.uk.