Work to improve a roundabout in Kingswood will begin this month, making travel safer for cyclists and pedestrians and helping traffic flow.
New sections of off-road cycle track will be created at the Wawne Road / Kesteven Way roundabout, along with “parallel crossings”, which are like zebra crossings but also include a designated area to allow cyclists to cross the road.
To improve traffic flow at the roundabout, Wawne Road will be widened from one lane to three marked traffic lanes on the northbound approach.
The improvements are designed to support future housing development as part of the Kingswood Area Action Plan, which was adopted in September 2016.
The work will start on Monday 23 January and is expected to last for 12 weeks.
For the first three weeks, Wawne Road will be closed to northbound traffic between Bude Road and Kesteven Way, with traffic diverted via the link road between Bude Road and the roundabout.
During the three-week closure, traffic exiting Kingswood Academy will be required to turn left on to Wawne Road.
The remainder of the work will be carried out under lane closures and temporary traffic lights, allowing traffic to travel in all directions.
Councillor Mark Ieronimo, Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Roads and Highways, said: “These improvements will benefit cyclists, pedestrians and motorists and support further development in Kingswood.
“In order to reduce congestion in the city, as well as tackle climate change, it is important to encourage more people to take up active travel methods such as cycling.
“By making cycling safer in our communities, we can hopefully help more people get into the habit of making shorter journeys by bike.”
Notices will be placed at bus stops giving details of how services are affected during the road closure period. Bin collections will continue as normal.
A contract for the roundabout improvement work has been awarded to Wright Civil Engineering Limited at a cost of £291,228.77.
