MULTI-MILLION pound transport plans set to transform how people move around Southampton city centre have been unveiled.

Several junctions along the A3024 Northern Ring Road - between Western Esplanade and Charlotte Place - will be improved as part of a £4.5m scheme.

The move will affect a number of roads including Havelock Road, Cumberland Place, Brunswick Place, Devonshire Road and Grosvenor Square.

The number of traffic lights along the route will also be reduced.

Those lights that remain will then be replaced with new ‘traffic signal technology’ which will respond to changing traffic conditions to better manage traffic flows, Southampton City Council says.

And the plans also include proposals to close the junction of Devonshire Road with Cumberland Place and make Grosvenor Square one way southbound only.

The city council - which unveiled the scheme - said the changes will “unlock plans” for wider improvements in the city centre over the next two years.

The changes are due to start this summer.

Cllr Steve Leggett, cabinet member for green city and place, said the move is “ an exciting milestone”.

Residents will be given the opportunity to help shape the plans, the council said, while residents of The Polygon are currently being consulted on the proposals for the junction at Devonshire Road and Grosvenor Square.

The city council said the changes will help tackle congestion, support more reliable journeys for drivers and reduce through traffic movements in other parts of the city centre with higher levels of pedestrian footfall.

The route will also see improved pedestrian crossing facilities, linking the city’s parks and enhancing access for people walking and cycling.

Further details will be released next month.

City leaders have welcomed the plans while some raised concerns.

Alan Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, said improvements to the ring road are needed.

Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, said he hopes the council “will not introduce changes which cause more congestion rather than less.”

He also said he hopes the authority engages positively with residents.

But Cllr Steven Galton, shadow cabinet member for transport, said the council’s transport plans are “ anti-motorist” and “an attack on drivers”.

“We need a proper long term plan for transport. Labour’s disjointed transport tinkering is adding to our problems locally, not fixing them”, he said.

Defending the scheme, Cllr Leggett said: “Our £4.5m investment in the Northern Ring Road – part of our Government backed £57m Transforming Cities programme - sends an unequivocal message about our commitment to tackling congestion and making car journeys more reliable, alongside a wider step change in sustainable transport provision. These plans form a vital part of our Local Transport Plan, which was launched in 2018.

“We’ll be continuing to work closely with local residents and businesses as further plans are developed.”