RUMBLE strips on the road surface are just one of the modifications being made to the Twin Sails Bridge during a week of improvements.

Borough of Poole’s engineering manager John Rice says that they are introducing the lines ahead of the barriers, which stop traffic while the bridge opens, to help to prevent further incidents on the bridge.

It is just one of a number of works being carried out on the bridge during a week of pre-planned maintenance works, which has seen traffic re-directed to use the old Poole Bridge until Monday.

Mr Rice said: “Some of the work is rectifying defects, some of it is annual maintenance and some is minor modifications in light of the two years that the Twin Sails Bridge has been in operation for.”

He added: “On the approaches to the bridge, we are placing rumble strips, so that, as cars drive over, they will see the barriers come down and the flashing lights, and the rumble strips will remind the vehicle’s driver to slow down.”

The last incident on the Twin Sails Bridge happened in December 2013, involving an 86-year-old motorist who had a lucky escape after her car smashed through the safety barriers and went across the bridge as it was lifting.

Just a couple of the other amendments on the bridge include the replacement of some of the LED lights on the barriers, and the servicing of the hyd-raulic systems which lift the leaves of the bridge.

The idea behind it, Mr Rice said, is that by closing the Twin Sails Bridge for a week outside of peak times, it will lead to less disruption overall to road-users, rather than staggering the works throughout the year.

In September, annual maintenance works are due to take place on Poole Bridge, meaning that one bridge is always available to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.