WORKS to widen a busy Southampton road in a bid to improve access to the city hospital are set to start tomorrow.

Coxford Road will be widened at one of the entrances to Southampton General Hospital.

The £814,000 scheme is expected to be completed within nine weeks.

The widening of Coxford Road – between Vine Road and Warren Avenue – will involve reconstructing a parking area, so that it can carry buses and heavy traffic.

To retain parking for residents, a length of overgrown verge has been cleared and will have an interlocking structure inserted so that the grass area can support vehicles. 

Southampton City Council’s highways partner, Balfour Beatty, will be responsible for the works which will be carried out in two parts.

The first phase will start on April 23 and  will require a 170m stretch of Coxford Road to be temporarily narrowed to one way northbound only.

The ground preparation works are expected to take up to seven weeks.

The second phase, which is expected to start in June, will involve up to two weeks of overnight resurfacing between 8pm and 6am.

The resurfacing will include the newly widened stretch of Coxford Road as well as the mini roundabouts on Warren Avenue and the section of Coxford Road from Vine Road to Tremona Road. 

The city council said pedestrian access is being maintained throughout the works and there will be signed diversion routes.

Denise Edghill, director of growth at Southampton City Council, said:  “These works are an important part of our commitment to ensure the transport network is effective at serving our busy hospital.

“We have carefully planned the works with support from the hospital’s operational teams to ensure access is always maintained.

“We will be doing everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum.”  The project is being funded through Southampton City Council’s roads resurfacing budget alongside developer contributions from University Hospital Southampton (UHS) Trust after they completed their new multi-story car park.

Paul Chamberlain, head of estates, facilities and capital development clinical services at UHS added: “The widening of the Coxford Road will provide better access for ambulances, deliveries and others accessing the hospital and will reduce congestion.”