THE starting date for the £14m upgrade of Southampton's Redbridge Roundabout has been announced.

Highways England says the roadworks will begin on Wednesday, May 1, and they are expected to run until spring 2020.

The scheme comes after a six-month project to improve Millbrook Roundabout finished on April 7.

Engineers will add an extra lane to Redbridge Roundabout to ease congestion for vehicles travelling from the motorway to Southampton city centre and the port.

It will also be widened on the southern side from Southampton to create four lanes and increase its capacity, while crossings for pedestrians and cyclists will be improved.

Highways England is hosting public events this weekend to allow motorists, cyclists and residents to find out more.

Highways England Project Manager Joe Clark said: "The improvements to the Redbridge roundabout will not only benefit road users but also the community who live and work in the area.

"As well as relieving congestion and improving journeys, we will be providing a safer and more accessible setting for pedestrians and cyclists as well as improving the surrounding environment.

"Highways England have worked collaboratively with Southampton City Council on planning this scheme which will also support the wider economy by greatly enhancing access in and out of Southampton and the ports."

The public events will be held at Redbridge Primary School on Friday from 4pm until 7pm, and on Saturday from 10am until 4pm.

Highways England says 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.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, Eugene McManus, chairman of the Redbridge Residents Association, said the roadworks would cause "chaos".

He said: “It will be chaos but the works are very much overdue and the reality is that, as many residents accept, we just have to suffer for the bigger picture.”