Three months of work has started on a major revamp of a key Norwich roundabout, to make it much safer for cyclists.

Eastern Daily Press: Construction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3 .Picture: Nick ButcherConstruction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3 .Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)

Construction of the cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways started today (Monday, June 3) and will continue until the end of August.

The project will see the roundabout's central island resized and the three signalled crossings upgraded to Toucan crossings, which allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross safely.

As well as improved street lighting and the addition of traffic islands on the four busiest arms of the roundabout, a new raised table and 20mph speed limit will be put in place on Gypsy Lane.

The work has been made possible through funding of nearly £700,000 from the Department for Transport (DfT) through its Cycle City Ambition grant along with £65,000 of additional funding from Norfolk County Council's safety scheme budget.

Mike Stonard, Norwich City Council's cabinet member for the Transport for Norwich partnership, said: "This work is in direct response to higher-than-average accident records at the Fiveways roundabout, which show cyclists to be at highest risk of personal injury.

"It's important that we continue to source DfT funding for projects like this, which significantly improve major cycle routes and hopefully encourage less confident cyclists to take to the road more regularly.

"We apologise that there will be disruption while the changes take place and would like to thank everyone for their patience. This has been programmed so most of the work will be over the school and university summer holidays to help reduce the impact."

A further £1m of DfT Cycle City Ambition funding was given to Norfolk County Council improvements along the Earlham Road green pedalway as part of the same grant award.

Eastern Daily Press: Construction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3 .Picture: Nick ButcherConstruction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3 .Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)

There will be road closures in place at the Earlham Fiveways junctions with Gypsy Lane, Bluebell Road and Earlham Green Lane until the project is completed at the end of August. Earlham Road will be open to through traffic across the roundabout.

First buses said its 25 and 26 buses would be affected because of the work.

They said: "Evening buses that usually go via Earlham Road will enter the university at the Bluebell Road entrance and turn at the Earlham Park gates to return to the city."

Full details of the project and more details of traffic management, including diversion routes, is available at www.norfolk.gov.uk/earlhamroad

Eastern Daily Press: Construction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3. Picture: Nick ButcherConstruction of the Norwich City and Norfolk County Council cycle safety scheme at Earlham Fiveways gets underway From Monday, June 3. Picture: Nick Butcher (Image: Archant © 2018)