SDLP North Belfast Councillor Carl Whyte has called for stronger planning, clearer communication and extra public transport to prevent fresh gridlock during upcoming M3 Lagan Bridge works.

The SDLP representative warned there must be no recurrence of the severe traffic disruption witnessed during maintenance on the M3 in recent years.

Maintenance on the M3 Lagan Bridge is scheduled to begin today, 14 August, and will run across three weekends, with lane closures and other restrictions in place.

Councillor Whyte said: "Over the last two years we saw utter chaos on roads around North and East Belfast during maintenance work to the M3 Lagan Bridge. The Infrastructure Minister and her department failed to properly inform of the public of lane closures and we saw gridlock and tailbacks leaving people travelling into and out of Belfast waiting hours to get to their destinations.

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"This is a busy road at the best of times, never mind weekends at the height of summer. During the closures there should be additional public transport provision, and a clear plan from DfI and the police to manage the increase in congestion. This is important work which should be carried out without huge inconvenience to the public and leaving roads at a standstill.

"There can be no repeat of previous scenes this year and I am calling on the Minister and her department to implement a proper public awareness campaign to ensure that people know what to expect and are prepared for the upcoming roadworks. The last thing we want is more frustration, delays and negative knock-on effects for travellers and local businesses."