DRIVERS will face an extra month of traffic misery as roadworks on a busy Hampshire motorway drag on.

Roads bosses say jam-busting roadworks on the M27 are now set to finish in July, despite hopes that they would be gone by next month.

The news comes as workers plan four weeks of road closures at junction three from today for five nights a week – lasting until the end of May.

As previously reported, Highways England believed in January that cones and reduced speed limits at junctions three and five would be lifted in June – two months earlier than originally planned.

But the organisation said they were only estimates as ground types can mean the time each job takes can vary.

However, it has confirmed that the work, which started last year, is now in its final stages for both|projects.

Workers have been digging up junction three, which leads towards the M271 between Romsey and Southampton, since October as part of a £2.3m scheme to reduce bottlenecks.

A similar £8m project to transform junction five at Eastleigh is also under way.

Both schemes, which will see the two junctions get extra carriageways and traffic lights, were part of the Government’s £300m motorway “pinch point” programme, which aims to remove bottlenecks on the nation’s roads.

Workers have already redirected water pipes, electricity cables and phone lines.

They are now extending the carriageways, checking the drainage is correct and resurfacing the two junctions with a special extra-safe high friction material.

They will also be installing cables to help roads chiefs monitor congestion.

As a result of the night closures starting today, the M271 will be closed southbound for four weeks between 9pm and 6am Mondays to Fridays from the A3057 Romsey Road roundabout to the M27’s junction three and northbound from junction three to the M271’s junction one at Lordshill.

Traffic will be diverted via junction two of the M27.

The eastbound exit sliproad of the M27’s junction five will also be closed between 9pm and 6am from today until Friday this week.

Traffic will be diverted via junction seven of the M27.