MOTORISTS using of one Hampshire’s busiest roads face another five months of misery following the launch of a £1.7m repair project.

Long delays caused by recent safety improvements to the A326 are set to be followed by additional disruption lasting until the middle of September.

Highway chiefs are refurbishing the only major road serving more than 40,000 people in the Waterside area.

Contractors will resurface the carriageway, improve the drains and either renew or replace signs and road markings.

Most of the work will be carried out between 9.30am and 4pm to prevent rush-hour chaos.

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Some of the repairs will be done at night in a further attempt to reduce disruption.

It follows weeks of congestion caused by safety improvements to the A326, including a new pedestrian crossing outside Marchwood Infant School, authorised following a spate of fatal accidents.

Now 30,000 drivers a day are facing more delays resulting from temporary traffic lights and a 30mph speed limit to protect the contractors.

Hythe county councillor Brian Dash said the work was needed because parts of the A326 had reached the end of their working life.

“It means continuing frustration for drivers following the recent safety work, but it wouldn’t have been realistic to do the two projects together,”

he said.

Alan Shotter, chairman of Marchwood Parish Council, described the new scheme as a continuation of the earlier work.

“Doing everything in one go would have caused too much disruption on the A326, resulting in large amounts of traffic going through Hythe and Marchwood.

Doing the work in stages means the side effects will be spread more evenly,” he said.

Work on the Totton to Dibden Purlieu section of the road has already started.

The repairs are due to be finished by July 20 to prevent disruption to holiday traffic heading for the New Forest.

But the final leg of the project – the Dibden Purlieu to Hardley stretch of the road – is unlikely to be finished until September.

Mel Kendal, the county council’s executive member for environment, said: “The A326 is a busy and important road providing access to the Waterside area.

“Over the years, sections of the road have deteriorated and now require strengthening to the carriageway and remedial work to the highway drainage.

“This will help prolong the life of the road and reduce the need for future maintenance and repairs.”