Portsmouth traffic: Major road resurfacing coming to The Hard Interchange to fix long held issues - when

The project is being carried out at The Hard Interchange no earlier than June 10 to fix long-term issues with the concrete. Portsmouth City Council (PCC) has handed the scheme to Mildren Construction Limited, with the engineering expected to last for just under five months.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, cabinet member for transport, said: "Addressing the challenges with the surface layer of the Hard Interchange is crucial. While we acknowledge the inconvenience these works may entail, prioritising the long-term viability of this transportation hub is imperative. We will keep all service users and those in the local community updated ahead of the works."

Temporary repairs were carried out at the £9.2m bus station on February 8. The local authority previously said they were "discussing ways to build a permanent solution to the ongoing problems with the surface layer of the interchange with the companies who originally dealt with the design and construction". Plans for the latest repair scheme were given the go ahead at a council meeting last Thursday (February 29).

The council said temporary adjustments will be made at The Hard to make sure commuters who rely on it are not disrupted too much. They added that the local authority's legal team is dealing with claims relating to the original roadworks from the project, with temporary repairs taking place before the scheme starts.

Workers were instructed in 2020 to fix the tarmac apron due to part of the parking surface cracking. A year later, it was revealed that the council had spent tens of thousands of pounds on temporary fixes to make the road surface safe.