Work finally started on repairs to the railway bridge on St Denys road on Saturday (Oct 5), around 10 months since one westbound lane was closed to traffic due to a landslip.

St Denys Road is now closed eastbound from Thomas Lewis Way to Kent Road, with no access from Kent or Adelaide roads during the work.

Vehicles are having to divert over other bridges to access St Denys and Bitterne Park from the west.

St Denys Road is open for a single lane of westbound traffic, and pedestrian access is maintained.

For those catching the Service 20 bus, they’ll be able to get to Portswood and on into the city, but the return journey could be a long one using the same service, as it’s diverted over Northam Bridge and Bullar Road.

Closed to eastbound traffic

The first week will see Scottish Southern Electricity Network contractors divert cables, and this will be followed by an estimated two weeks’ work by Network Rail, with the same diversions expected to remain in place.

The council says on its project website it has taken so long to sort out because it’s a complex project, involving many partners and the acquisition of land, along with the need to retain services “within the road” such as electricity, gas, and broadband.

It adds that work can’t take place 24 hours a day because of noise close to nearby homes, among other reasons.

Meanwhile as reported, work is due to start at the Lodge Road and Bevois Hill junction on Monday (Oct 7) for ten weeks.