Improvement works at Bitterne Road East completed

Bitterne Road East reopened to traffic on Saturday following the completion of improvement works by Southampton City Council, our highways partner Balfour Beatty and Southern Water

The improvement works came forward following public consultation in Autumn 2023 and in November 2024 during which the scheme evolved significantly to provide a range of highway, walking and wheeling improvements including:

• New signalised crossing close to the junction of Somerset Avenue
• Widening and renewal of signal crossing equipment at Commercial Street
• Resurfacing sections of Bitterne Road East and the service road
• Drainage improvements at Commercial Street and Somerset Avenue
• Creation of a continuous cycle link between Somerset Avenue and Bitterne District Centre via the Bitterne Road East service road
• New wayfinding signage
• New raised kerbing added to Bitterne Library westbound bus stop
  20 mile per hour speed limit on Bitterne Road East service road, Milbury Crescent, Keynsham Road, Bath Road, and their side roads
• New planting in the green space along Bitterne Road East

We assigned multiple teams to the project to deliver the works as efficiently as possible and we are pleased to have completed the works on time. We also reached out to several utilities providers and other council teams to accommodate any outstanding work that they may have had within the works area, with the council’s trees team and Southern Water taking us up on the opportunity to undertake works at this time and therefore avoid the need for future road closures or other traffic management.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:

“I’d like to thank local people for their patience while these works have been ongoing as well as all of the different teams from Balfour Beatty, Southern Water and the council who have been working together to deliver a wide variety of works that will improve journeys for people walking, wheeling and driving as well as reduce the need for future road closures.”

The improvements at Bitterne Road East, funded by the Active Travel Fund, support the goals of our Local Transport Plan, Connected Southampton 2040, by making it easier and safer for people walking, and wheeling, to get to local shops and facilities at Bitterne District Centre, and link up with bus services to the city centre, and beyond.