DRIVERS in Southampton face months of more motoring misery when work on a busy city roundabout gets underway.

Multi-million pound works on the Redbridge Roundabout are set to start tomorrow and are expected to be completed next year.

Works to improve the roundabout are expected to run until spring 2020.

They come after a six-month project to improve nearby Millbrook Roundabout finished on April 7.

The latest scheme, set to cost between £12 million and £14million, will add an extra lane to ease congestion for vehicles travelling from the motorway to the city centre and the port.

Now diversion routes and road closures have been announced.

The M271 is set to be closed southbound from junction 1 to the A35 from 8pm to 6am.

The closure will be in place from May 22 to December 21 but highway bosses said it is not expected to be in place every night but only when needed.

Overnight lane closures are also expected on the A33 Redbridge Road and A35 Redbridge Causeway until December 21.

Redbridge Causeway is  also set to see some daytime lane closures over the next eight months.

As previously reported, the crossings on Redbridge Road will be upgraded and the existing  footbridge will be replaced to make it possible for both pedestrians and cyclists to cross.

A shared-use path will be built on the southern side of the roundabout.

The scheme will also see improvements made to the subway by Gover Road, while the subway at the southern edge of the roundabout will be shut.

The news comes as  more than three quarters of people who took part in a public consultation agreed that congestion at the roundabout was a problem, and that pedestrian and cyclist facilities needed to be upgraded, Highways England said. 

The scheme is led by Highways England and backed by Southampton City Council (SCC) which has contributed £300,000 to it.

Denise Edghill, director for growth at SCC, said the project is key to improving journey times on the western approach to Southampton for the long term.

“We will be supporting Highways England in their work to manage disruption and minimise the inconvenience caused for road users.

“We would encourage anyone looking for alternatives to the car, like public transport, cycling or even car sharing, to visit our My Journey website for help and advice,” she added.