Road closures will be in place on the A1 this weekend as the Highbury Corner work enters its final stages – more than a decade after first being signed off.

There will also be measures in place over the Easter bank holiday weekend as traffic switches to a two-way operation.

The revamp of the notorious 1960s roundabout will shift the emphasis away from motorists and towards pedestrians and cyclists. Work finally began 12 months ago after years of delays. It followed three years of works to replace the railway bridge outside Highbury and Islington station.

The project is scheduled to finish in the autumn, when the new public space, segregated cycle lanes and new crossings will all be up-and-running.

Carriageway resurfacing will start at 8pm on Friday and continue until 5am on Monday. Upper Street will be closed to all traffic at Highbury Corner and the Holloway Road will be southbound only at the roundabout.

From 8pm on Monday to 5am on Tuesday Canonbury Road will be closed to traffic and from 8pm on Wednesday next week to 5am on Thursday St Paul’s Road will be shut.

Islington Council’s transport chief Cllr Claudia Webbe said: “Cars, lorries and vans have dominated Highbury Corner for decades, making it an intimidating space for cyclists and pedestrians to navigate.

“Our landmark scheme with the mayor of London and TfL will finally rebalance the area in favour of walking and cycling, and reclaim the arboretum with its wide variety of trees as part of a new, greener, larger public space that is more pleasant, safer and enjoyable.”

The switch to two-way traffic is planned overnight between 8pm on Saturday April 20 and 8am on Sunday April 21. St Paul’s Road and Canonbury Road will be closed.

People walking, cycling and driving in the area are encouraged to take extra care after the switchover is complete, because traffic will be coming from a different direction.

TfL’s Nick Fairholme said: “Transforming Highbury Corner will enable even more people to walk and cycle in the area and make getting public transport easier - while safely opening up a tranquil pocket of greenery in the middle of the city.”

The Lib Dem-controlled council consulted on plans for the roundabout in 2007, and the favoured option was to close the arm of the roundabout linking Upper Street to Holloway Road – which the current work is doing.

But after the 2010 elections the new Labour administration said there was no money to do it. Then TfL said it would stump up the cash but plans to move the Post Office from the hut outside the station were scrapped and work was halted again.