TRANSPORT ministers are being urged to push through a plan to keep roads around Canford Bottom open during the £5.7million rebuild.

Annette Brooke MP has pledged to send Mike Penning, the Under Secretary of State for Transport, ‘the most pleading letter ever’, outlining a way to prevent an eight-week shutdown after Christmas.

The idea is to let drivers across Ham Lane and Canford Bottom, breaking up the A31 traffic on a two-minute cycle.

Wimborne Business Improvement District member Andy King has already pitched it to the Highways Agency.

Mr King, from the Low Carbon Energy Centre, said: “It would still give priority to the A31.

“It will cause a bit of hold up at peak times of the morning, but no worse than we’ve had historically.

“Most importantly, it will allow people to get around without an eight-mile diversion.”

Otherwise, the work will cause ‘major problems’ for all local people, Mr King said.

A feasibility study has already been done and a decision will be made next week.

Martin Tidd, Wimborne BID director, said: “There seems to be no reason why this cannot be done.

“The only fly in the ointment is that it might take a little longer to finish the work.

“We want to keep the pressure up with the Highways Agency to get some sort of compromise for local people.”

Annette Brooke MP said: “I’ll outline the plan in the most pleading letter ever.

“Mr Penning no doubt wants to prevent as much disruption as he can. While we probably don’t want the scheme at all, it needs to be implemented in conjunction with local people.

“They know what’s best on the ground.”

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said they were giving the comments ‘careful consideration’.

Opening up the Old Ham Lane bridleway, under the A31, has been shelved.