Residents of a road in Southampton have told of the worst traffic in 50 years as a result of the Bitterne Road East closure.
Bitterne Road East has been shut to drivers since last Monday for Southampton City Council roadworks – which will last for seven weeks overall.
The council has said the scheme will improve the road surface as well as adding more crossings and a cycle lane.
But residents in other roads in Southampton say the disruption caused by the closure has turned a quiet road into a ‘disaster’.
She said: “Usually we have a steady flow of cars through here – now there isn’t much time when the traffic is not at a standstill.
“Seven weeks is a long time – I really hope that this is the last closure of this length we have to deal with.
“Just trying to get in and out of our driveways has become a nightmare – I'm really worried about motorbikes and e-scooters.
“When a driver stops to let you reverse you cannot see motorcyclists as they come down the road.
“Evening, trying to get on my drive I have had to put up with horn blasting and angry drivers.”
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The Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund is financing the Bitterne Road East upgrades, which include better road surfaces, a new crossing, a cycle link, and a 20mph speed limit in certain areas.
“One minute you look outside and the road is empty, the next traffic has completely filled the whole road.
“The traffic we are facing at the moment is just unprecedented – we have never seen anything like it in all the time we have lived here.
“My goodness - when someone gets a shopping delivery from Tesco or Sainsburys both sides of the road become blocked.”
Another Upper Deacon Road resident of 21-years, who wanted to remain unnamed, said it took her around 25 minutes to travel less than a mile stretch of Upper Deacon road.
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