TOMORROW (Friday) should signal the end of a seven month nightmare for drivers using a busy Romsey road junction.

Highway engineers are due to turn on high-tech traffic lights at the new-look Winchester Hill junction with Cupernham Lane.

However, not all the £800,000 project paid for by the Abbotswood Consortium has been completed and some delays are still likely.

Work on installing the traffic signals, building retaining walls and putting in a third lane and pedestrian crossings started in January and should have been completed in April but the contractors Hope and Clay ran into problems after the discovery of unrecorded utility pipes and cables buried beneath the road. This led to lengthy delays in the construction work and daily hold ups for commuters using the A3090 between Romsey and Winchester.

Hampshire’s cabinet spokesman for transport and the environment, Sean Woodward said: “The continuing disruption to road users and inconvenience to residents has been completely unsatisfactory. Our priority is to get the developer to finish the works as quickly as possible. Although not quite complete, the road works are at a stage where we will be able to reopen the junction a part from the first 30metres of the left turn into Cupernham Lane. The lane for traffic going straight into Romsey will not be obstructed. This is not idea but should offer a significant improvement for both road users and residents.” He pointed out that county engineers had been on site working with the developer to try and speed the work up.

“Despite this, one part remains outstanding. We will continue to do everything we can to expedite the remaining works so that the impact on residents and motorists can be brought to an end,” added Mr Woodward. Former Romsey mayor and the town’s county councillor Mark Cooper who has campaigned for improvements at the junction for years said: “The end is in sight, although I’ll only believe it when I see not a single piece of construction clutter on Winchester Hill. What is really irritating is that everyone involved is ducking responsibility for the immense overrun. The project has stretched from 12 weeks to 28 weeks and I am not satisfied we really known why.”

Mr Cooper said motorists had suffered badly because of the delays.

“The true cost is being paid by Romsey’s residents who have collectively lost a huge amount of time and who have paid for and burnt gallons of additional fuel diverting around the junction. Those people living on top of the site have had a very torrid time too. What is forgotten is that disruption is very stressful,” said Mr Cooper.