Southampton's Itchen Bridge to close to motor vehicles for 'significant maintenance'

The Itchen Bridge in Southampton will be closed to cars for eight weeks this summer.

Southampton City Council said it is for maintenance work which will be the most significant works to take place at the landmark since it first opened.

Exact dates have not been released yet but pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to cross.

People coming into the city centre from further afield will be encouraged to continue on the M27 to J5 or J2, or to use alternative methods of travel.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: "We fully appreciate the disruption that the closure of the Itchen Bridge to motor vehicles will cause and apologise for the inconvenience, however there is no other way to undertake this maintenance and it must be completed to ensure the health of the Itchen Bridge going forward.

"To mitigate what we can, we have chosen to undertake the majority of the works over the summer holiday when the bridge is not as busy as other times, and the weather is more likely to be favourable.

"We will also maintain pedestrian and cycle crossings, and we will be deploying multiple work teams to complete the works as quickly and safely as possible."

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