Work set to start on major improvements for Stoneham Way, Bassett Green Road, Wide Lane and Swaythling Arch

Works begin Monday 12 August

Southampton City Council, with its Highways Partner Balfour Beatty, will begin work on Monday 12 August on a major project to improve the A335 Stoneham Way between Wide Lane, Bassett Green Road and Thomas Lewis Way.

The work will take around 18 weeks to complete in four phases with an expected finish date in December 2019.

We will be doing everything we can to minimise disruption for people using this route. This includes limiting lane restrictions to off-peak times where possible and working day and night to complete the work as quickly as possible.

Diversion routes will be clearly sign-posted and full information on closures and restrictions is available on our website.

What's new?

The works will see new traffic signals to help improve traffic flows on this main route between the city, the University of Southampton, Eastleigh and the Airport. It will include the completion of a new section of the Southampton Cycle Network (SCN) - the SCN8. This will improve cycling and pedestrian links between the Mansbridge area to the University of Southampton Highfield Campus and on to the SCN5 route proposed to run along Bassett Avenue, The Avenue and Inner Avenue. The project includes:

• Widening the footway along Stoneham Way to create a new shared used cycle path
• Introducing a new safe cycle facility from Bassett Green Road to Wide Lane which will have its own signal phase turning into Swaythling Arch to link to Wide Lane to the Airport with new pedestrian and cycle crossings
• Replacing the Overheight Traffic Signs designed to stop HGVs from going under Swaythling Arch
• Upgrades to the traffic signals at Bassett Green Road and Wessex Lane which will communicate with buses to give them priority

The new signal technology will synchronise with the recently improved signals at Thomas Lewis Way and Stoneham Way to the South which we installed last year. This should improve journey times for people travelling along this route into and out of Southampton.

Councillor Jacqui Rayment, Cabinet Member for Transport and Place at Southampton City Council, said:

"Encouraging and promoting sustainable and active travel is a key commitment in our Green City Charter. Winning funding for and investing in projects to improve the safety and attractiveness of busy routes for people walking and cycling is an important part of this.

"Our highways partners at Balfour Beatty will be doing everything they can to minimise disruption while we carry out these important improvements. This includes limiting restrictions to off-peak times where possible and working day and night. Make sure you visit our website for the latest updates and all details on diversion routes."

Full details on the phasing of works, diversion routes and travel advice is available.

The Stoneham Way Project will cost around £1m in total. This will be sourced from the £5.7m funding secured so far by Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund and from developer contributions in the area.

Transforming Cities Fund explained

Southampton City Council and Hampshire County Council have ambitious plans to change transport in Southampton and the surrounding areas for the better.

This year we secured £5.7m from the Department for Transport's Transforming Cities Fund to help do this. This money is being invested in new and improved cycle freeways and on new technology to make bus journey times more reliable. Major work to complete the SCN1 Western Cycle Freeway going from Totton to the City Centre and the recently announced new two kilometre off-road cycle and foot way on SCN5 between Southampton and Chandlers Ford, are two of the other major improvements that we will deliver with this first round of funding.

Now we are putting together our case for a share of the total £1.2bn available to twelve shortlisted areas of the UK. Our goal is to transform the way people get in and around Southampton to secure a sustainable and successful future for everyone living and working in the area.

We will submit the final joint bid to the Department for Transport this November and we expect a final decision on funding by the Spring of 2020. Discover more about Transforming Cities in the Southampton area.

Councillor Rob Humby, Deputy Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Member of Economy, Transport and Environment, added: "By working closely with our partners at Southampton City Council we have been able to successfully bid for Government funding to improve cycling, walking and public transport routes, encouraging more people, where possible, to leave their cars at home. Simple actions such as walking to school, car-sharing or switching off idling car engines will contribute significantly to better air quality for all of us and help reduce carbon emissions."

Visit our My Journey website and use the hand journey planner to find the best way to get in and around Southampton. There is also advice and support to get cycling and walking more in the city.

You can see the latest progress we've made on creating the Southampton Cycle Network (SCN).