August start for Itchen Bridge Maintenance Project

Southampton City Council and their highways partner Balfour Beatty will be starting works on the Itchen Bridge Maintenance Project on Monday 11 August 2025

The works will take around six months to complete and will enhance the lifespan of the bridge for many years to come by upgrading the drainage system, repairing the joints and restoring the waterproofing, followed by resurfacing of the highway and footpath surfaces and application of new road markings.

To maintain a safe environment for road users and site staff, there will be a temporary speed limit of 20mph while the works are ongoing. As we have previously indicated, we will be keeping the bridge open as much as possible during these works, including peak times to minimise the impact of the works.

This will involve the use of temporary traffic lights on weekdays during off peak hours, 9.30am-3pm, so that we can work in sections on one side of the bridge at a time.

It will also mean overnight closures from 8pm-6am however, during this time, pedestrians will have access to one footway and cyclists will continue to be able to use the bridge. When there is a weeknight football match at St Marys the bridge will remain open until 11pm to help fans make their way home.

Councillor Christie Lambert, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The Itchen Bridge is a key link for local people and the communities in the east of city, and we are pleased to be able to confirm the start date for these important maintenance works which will keep the bridge in good shape for years to come.

“We’ve listened to feedback from local people, businesses and communities and have come up with a traffic management plan that will limit the disruption of the works, however some disruption at times is unavoidable, and I would like to thank residents in advance for their patience.”

The Itchen Bridge Maintenance Project page on our Connecting Southampton website will be kept updated with news and additional information and also has a link to let local people sign up to a dedicated newsletter so they can be sure that they will receive all the updates to the project as it moves forward.