PART of a busy Bournemouth road will be closed for two weeks when the latest stage of the revamp of Tuckton roundabout gets under way.

Belle Vue Road will be closed from the junction with Broadway to Tuckton roundabout from Tuesday May 29.

Traffic will be diverted along Brightlands Avenue and Broadlands Avenue for the duration of the work.

Advance road closure signs are being put up this week and residents are due to receive hand-delivered letters about the closure.

Gary Powell, Head of Traffic Management, Development Services at Bournemouth council, said: “As part of ongoing highway improvement works at Tuckton roundabout, there will be a two week road closure.

“During this closure, access will be maintained, where possible, to all properties. Work is currently on schedule and you can find the latest information on our website.”

The closure is the latest stage in the work, which will see parallel crossings, designed for pedestrians and cyclists, at all four approach roads to the roundabout.

The crossings, two of which are already in place, are raised to slow traffic down and to make pedestrians and cyclists more visible.

Changes are being made in Tuckton Road in a bid to reduce congestion caused by large vehicles unloading outside Tesco Express.

The area is an accident blackspot, particularly for cyclists, and the work is designed to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

There are several schools in the area and hundreds of children cross the roads there every day.

Tuckton roundabout is also a busy junction for traffic and is used by 30,000 motorists a day.

The overall aim of the work is to make is safer for everyone without having a negative impact on traffic flow and public transport.

Work has already led to considerable disruption in the area, particularly when the bridge was closed for two weeks over Easter.

The closure caused gridlock across the area with Castle Lane East and the Royal Bournemouth Hospital particularly badly affected.

But council chiefs said they chose the Easter break because there is less traffic than during term time.

Recent days have seen long queues in Tuckton Road with traffic struggling to negotiate the stretch of road near Tesco Express.

Access to the popular Riverside pub will also be altered with motorists banned from turning right into or out of the pub.

The Riverside has been closed for major refurbishment work for several weeks but is due to open in time for the bank holiday and school half term break.

It will no longer operate under the Harvester brand but will re-open as a Premium Country Pub. Both brands are owned by chain Mitchells and Butlers.