Major roadworks on Rudmore roundabout in Portsmouth may be delayed because of difficulties finding bollards and other supplies

Speaking as the first details of plans to upgrade Rudmore Roundabout are revealed, councillor Lynne Stagg said the nationwide issue could see the government push back its deadline to 2024.

She said that 'everyone's having difficulties getting supplies' for road projects which could make it difficult for councils to hit the original goal.

Work to improve Rudmore Roundabout is part of the latest phase of the South East Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme - the partnership between the city council, Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council.

It will be funded through the £56m grant awarded through the government's Transforming Cities Fund last year.

As with all Transforming Cities Fund projects, the government has set a three-year deadline for their completion, meaning all the work will need to be finished by 2023.

But Cllr Stagg said difficulties in sourcing supplies could see this extended by a year.

'There are real problems getting hold of everything you need for schemes like this, particularly for things like bollards' she said. 'A lot of this comes from places like China and is proving difficult to acquire.'

Proposals for the roundabout include widening the northbound motorway access, extending the bus lane, widening the southbound roundabout exit and installing a new cycle lane.

It is also planned to change the layout of the roundabout to facilitate two lanes from the A3 at Stamshaw Road and Kingston Crescent to travel to the M275 northbound to improve the flow of traffic.

Cllr Stagg said the project, together with similar schemes at two other roundabouts, could 'significantly' reduce bus journey times, encouraging more people to use them.

'We want to be encouraging more people to travel by means other than their private car,' she said. 'To do that we need to make bus travel more attractive.

'One of the big problems we face at the moment is buses can be unreliable and get held up in congestion.

'The work at Rudmore Roundabout and in Cosham will give them greater priority, while also reducing traffic more generally, and could significantly improve bus journey times.'

She said that once the project is completed, a bus trip between Havant and Portsmouth City Centre could take 11 minutes less than it does at the moment.

Two online 'briefings' outlining the plans for the Rudmore Roundabout project will take place next week.