The second phase of the Woolwell to The George transport improvement scheme will begin later this month and is expected to take about 18 months.

It includes the replacement of Woolwell Roundabout with a signalised junction, as well as the widening of Tavistock Road and improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

From Monday January 26, they will work for five nights to remove traffic islands on Tavistock Road between the George Junction and Woolwell Roundabout.

Lane closures and temporary traffic lights will be in operation between 7pm and 6am during this time.

To ensure that pedestrians can cross Tavistock Road safely after the central islands are removed, a temporary signalised crossing will be provided near the footpath link to Frensham Avenue.

The main works will start on Monday February 2.

They will be starting around Woolwell Roundabout and move south towards the George Junction as works progress.

Traffic management will be put out overnight on Sunday February 1 ready for work to start on the Monday morning.

They will maintain a lane in each direction between the George Junction and Woolwell Roundabout except for occasional night works where one lane will need to be closed and temporary signals will be needed.

During the first stage of traffic management, traffic heading north from Woolwell Roundabout will remain in one lane for a short section until after the pedestrian crossing, at which point both lanes will be available.

There will also be no right turn out of Woolwell Road onto Woolwell Roundabout.

Traffic heading north from Woolwell will be able to do so at the new Woolwell Crescent junction, recently completed as part of the first phase of works.

The first activities will include some tree and vegetation removal, demolition of the Clock House, utility diversions and new drainage connections.

They will also be taking out kerbs and other boundaries to make space for the start of the widening works.

To widen Tavistock Road, there are some further trees to be removed.

They will complete some of this clearance this winter and the rest outside bird nesting season later this year.

Throughout the entire design and development process, they have always sought to minimise the footprint of the scheme and retain as many existing trees as possible.

They have been able to retain 36 trees previously identified for removal, including four protected by tree preservation orders (although some of the lower branches will need to be removed to ensure adequate clearance from the new highway).

They will also plant 19 large, well-established trees on site, along with sedum within the new central reservation and islands. Proposals also include hedge and wildflower planting, as well as shrub planting in and around the two new drainage ponds being created on the east side of Tavistock Road.

The Woolwell to The George scheme has been in the pipeline for many years.

It will tackle one of Plymouth’s worst traffic bottlenecks and is a vital part of the programme to provide better links to and from the north of Plymouth as it grows.

In the coming years there will be are around 2,000 new homes at the Woolwell Urban Extension.