AN £11.7 million scheme of major roadworks in the Townside area of Poole is set to start on Monday, October 8. The nine-month programme of works will involve the reconfiguration of the Hunger Hill junction, which Poole council says will improve its efficiency.

"More direct and safer crossings" for pedestrians and cyclists are also planned.

The scheme will also see the direction of traffic on West Street (towards the bridges only) and West Quay Road (towards Hunger Hill only) will also change.

The works, funded through Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), are designed to support the future expansion of the Port of Poole, as well as the redevelopment of sites along West Street and West Quay Road.

Prior to the main works starting, two bans on turns will be in place from Wednesday, October 3, to enable preparatory works on the Hunger Hill roundabout to be carried out. There will be a left hand turn ban for all vehicles from Hunger Hill roundabout to West Quay Road, and a right hand turn ban for all vehicles from Hunger Hill roundabout to Towngate Bridge

Over the nine months, works will be carried out on one arm of the junction at a time.

The majority of traffic lanes will remain open during peak hours, with no full road closures taking place on the main routes. In addition, the last two weeks before Christmas will be treated as ‘peak hours’ all day, every day, the council says.

The contractor will carry out certain work overnight, but noisy activities will be kept to a minimum.

"This is a major infrastructure project and despite all our efforts some disruption is likely. Throughout the works motorists are advised to plan ahead, use alternative forms of transport where possible and allow more time for their journeys," a council spokesperson said.

Residents and local businesses can attend a drop-in session at the RNLI College in West Quay Road anytime between 3pm and 7pm tomorrow (TUES) and Thursday.

Mildren Construction will also be holding a 'Meet the Contractor' public event on Wednesday, October 3, between 3pm and 7pm.

Julian McLaughlin, head of growth and infrastructure at Poole council, said: “We appreciate these works will inevitably cause some unavoidable disruption to road users and we have taken every opportunity to minimise the impact this will have on people."

Wider projects in the Townside area will continue until 2020 and will involve the completion of the links for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users from Hunger Hill to Poole Bridge. Improvements to public spaces will also take place during this time.

Lorna Carver, director of Dorset LEP, said: “The Port of Poole and surrounding area is a key growth priority for Dorset. The start of these works marks the final and largest phase of this major programme into improving access into and around the port. "This really is an exciting development for the town which stands to benefit massively from this multi-million pound investment through the provision of thousands of new jobs and homes, improved public spaces, and safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.”