Southport drivers face months of roundabout works

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-17 09:06 3 min read

Aerial view of a standard suburban roundabout junction with connecting roads and crossings.

By the demoduck.co.uk editorial team

Published 17 August 2026 | Source: Sefton Council

Phase two of the Southport Eastern Access scheme starts today, Monday 17 August, bringing work to Kew Roundabout, Meols Park and Foul Lane. The programme will introduce traffic signals and controlled crossings, open Foul Lane to traffic and improve motorists’ access to the nearby retail park.

The first activity will be preloading work along Meols Park and Foul Lane. Once that groundwork is complete, the council expects installation of the crossings and the remaining improvements to take around nine months.

Traffic lights and crossings will reshape Kew Roundabout

Kew Roundabout is set to gain traffic lights and new signal-controlled crossings for people travelling on foot, by wheelchair or mobility aid, and by bicycle. Sefton Council says these changes should make the roundabout safer and easier to enter while supporting smoother traffic flow.

Southport drivers face months of roundabout works

The work also covers the appearance and safety of this eastern route into Southport. The roundabout has sometimes been described as difficult to navigate, particularly because people walking or cycling currently have limited options for crossing it.

The council’s announcement identifies the planned improvements but does not provide a timetable for individual lane restrictions, closures or diversions. Drivers therefore do not yet have enough confirmed information to determine how particular journeys may be disrupted during construction.

Foul Lane opening will change access to nearby facilities

Opening Foul Lane to traffic is intended to provide better access to retail and leisure facilities around Kew. Motorists heading for the retail park should also benefit from changes designed to make its entrances easier to reach.

Schools, shops and leisure destinations are located close to the roundabout. Councillor Phil Hart, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Highways, said younger people should particularly benefit from having a safer route across the junction when walking, wheeling or cycling.

The active-travel element is aimed at making short local journeys possible without a car for residents who choose to walk or cycle. Traffic signals will provide controlled crossing points around a junction where those links have previously been limited.

Stone foundations come before the main installation

The construction sequence begins with preloading, an engineering step needed because of the ground conditions. At Meols Park, workers will lay a stone base beneath the route of the future pavement and leave it to settle before applying the final surface later in the scheme.

Stage	Confirmed work
17 August 2026	Phase two of the Southport Eastern Access scheme begins
Initial works	Preloading starts along Meols Park and Foul Lane
Ground settlement	The stone base at Meols Park is left to settle before surfacing
After preloading	New crossings and the remaining works are expected to take around nine months
Earlier in 2026	Phase one improvements were completed at Bispham Road and Sussex Road

Allowing the stone to settle is intended to even out the future pavement surface. This means the visible crossing and signal installation will not begin across the whole scheme immediately.

Earlier junction work shifted traffic away from side streets

Phase one was completed earlier this year at the Bispham Road and Sussex Road junctions. Those changes increased junction capacity and were intended to keep vehicles on the main route instead of encouraging drivers to use nearby residential streets as shortcuts.

The next confirmed milestone is the completion of preloading along Meols Park and Foul Lane. Once the stone base has settled, it will be surfaced later in the scheme, followed by the roughly nine-month programme of crossing installation and remaining works.

Source: Sefton Council

Context & actions About this article

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This report follows Sefton Council’s published account of the Kew Roundabout works and distinguishes confirmed stages from details not yet provided.

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