Overnight closures on island route to mainland

Overnight works on one of the three routes between England's most populous island and the mainland is due to begin.

The work to replace traffic signals at Paulsgrove Junction, near the Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth, Hampshire, is set to begin on Sunday evening.

The programme of night works will take place between 21:00 and 05:00 BST for four nights, with a full closure of all four arms of the junction each evening.

Portsmouth City Council has urged road users to plan ahead and consider alternative routes during the works.

No closures will be in place during the day and signed diversion routes will be clear when the junction is shut, the council said.

It said walking and cycling routes would be unaffected by the road closures.

The city council said the current traffic signals at the junction had "reached the end of their 25-year life span" and "urgently need to be replaced to ensure the junction operates safely and for years to come".

Peter Candlish, the council's transport lead, said: "This is one of Portsmouth's busiest junctions and updating and maintaining these signals is critical for the safety of road users."

He said the "essential" work had been designed to "minimise the disruption to the road network".

The first phase of works, which is due to conclude on Wednesday night, will see temporary traffic lights installed on the route, with work restarting on 6 May.

From then, night works will consist of localised lane closures around the junction until 22 June, when the operation is due to be completed.

Mr Candlish said the scheme would be completed "in full ahead of the busy summer period".

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