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One of London's most terrifying road junctions is being dismantled this weekend in a £3million shake up of Elephant & Castle. Work on the southern roundabout starts today, four years since Southwark council promised to axe the entire double roundabout system. Locals hope this is just part one of the £1.5bn redevelopment of the area. By Sunday the 60s eyesore will be gone and temporary traffic lights installed whilst work to install new pedestrian crossings and to fill in the subways underneath the roundabout continues. During the weekend there will be no access from Walworth Road to Elephant & Castle. Buses that normally use the junction will be diverted via Heygate Street, Rodney Place and New Kent Road. Elephant & Castle, with its myriad of complex tunnels and crossings is benefiting from the Mayor of London's Great Outdoors Initiative which aims to improve public spaces across the capital. Paved areas will be widened, lighting will be improved and extra trees will be planted, while new cycle lanes and advance stop lines for cyclists will also be installed. A survey conducted by GfK NOP for Highway Insurance named the section UK's fourth scariest intersection. Work on the section soiled be completed by spring next year. Cllr Fiona Colley, Southwark Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "I'm delighted to be a step closer to getting rid of the unpopular and intimidating subways with this new milestone. "Every new development brings us further towards the vision for Elephant and Castle, and the improvements to the traffic layout is something that local people are keen to see happening as soon as possible. "I'm looking forward to working with TfL to address the northern roundabout next.
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