Changes are being made to a congested double junction on Brighton’s Lewes Road, where it meets Elm Grove and Union Road, at the Level.
The aim is to improve safety and reduce hold-ups.
Work is due to start on 28 August and will last for up to three months. Delays are expected and drivers are strongly advised to seek an alternative route.
Changes will see the central island in the Lewes Road outside Park Crescent doctors surgery removed, along with its railings. Extra space will be created to extend lanes for turning right into both Elm Grove and Union Road. This will reduce the tendency for queuing traffic to obstruct other lanes.
Traffic signals will be upgraded to better coordinate with others from Lewes Road to Edward Street.
Kerbs will be realigned, helping provide space for better pedestrian and cycling facilities, with wider cycle lanes and shared spaces to help southbound cyclists towards cycle lanes on the Level. Road resurfacing and new line markings will provide a smoother ride and improved safety.
New pedestrian and cycle crossings over Lewes Road will be installed and there will be wider waiting islands for pedestrians crossing Union Road and Elm Grove.
Measures to further protect cyclists at the left turn into Elm Grove from Lewes Road include red surfacing to make cycle lanes clearer and a wide-angle mirror will help drivers see bikes on their nearside. Railings on the corner will be removed to give cyclists with more room in an emergency.
Junctions will have head-start green lights for cyclists.
Bus stops will be extended and turning areas improved to help bendy buses.
Chair of the council’s environment committee Cllr Gill Mitchell said: “This double junction is an historic muddle with everyone getting in each other’s way. Changes to lights and lane space should smooth the route for buses and cars. We’ll make some changes to help cyclists and pedestrians go more directly where they actually want to go – particularly cyclists going from Elm Grove and Lewes Road onto the Level. But there will delays during the works for which we apologise and ask people to bear with us.”
Get more details about the improvements at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/elmgrove