A SCHEME to improve a dangerous section of the A31 is set to begin in March 2019, Highways England bosses have confirmed.

It is hoped the plans for the notorious accident blackspot - and the main road for westbound visitors to Bournemouth and Poole - will ease congestion and make the road safer.

Options so far presented may see the westbound carriageway extended to three lanes from Ringwood, at the junction with Salisbury Road, to the turn off for Hurn Lane and Verwood Road (between A and B on the map below)

New Forest MP Desmond Swayne said motorists “don’t half take their life in their hands” when using the West Street junction - a road of major concern (C on the map above, by the Fish Inn).

“The slip roads are far too short,” he said. “The provision of an extra lane will undoubtedly help.”

Hampshire County Councillor Steve Rippon-Swaine, of Ringwood, told the Daily Echo: “What we have got is a road which is beginning to choke. So long as Highways consults with locals then I’m very pleased this has now become an item on their programme and we can look forward to something being done.”

Highways officials are also considering reducing the existing 70 mph speed limit to 50mph - an option much welcomed by the Mayor of Ringwood, Cllr Michael Thierry, a long-term campaigner for safety measures on the A31.

He said it was about time measures were taken to “prevent accidents that unfortunately are all too frequent” and he would gladly see the speed limit reduced to 50mph, particularly for those exiting the town via West Street.

“At the moment people can drive past The Fish Inn at 70mph,” he said. “And people become bump happy. West Street can be particularly difficult. I would like an exercise to see what would be the potential effect on introducing traffic lights. The town council has always welcomed anything at all that would enhance the safety of the A31.”

Highways England officers are currently discussing the possibility of closing West Street at The Fish Inn junction indefinitely amid safety concerns over the rat-run. But some councillors have said they are concerned that such a move will make Market Place more congested.

It is hoped the works will be completed by the summer of 2020, subject to costs.

A Highways England spokesperson said: “We committed in our 2015-2020 Delivery Plan to tackle delays on the A31 at Ringwood, supporting growth plans, employment opportunities and housing. On the current timeline, we expect to be able to consult the public on our shortlisted plans next spring, to start work around March 2019 and for it to be completed the following year. Widening the A31 from two to three lanes westbound is one of the options we are considering, but we will put forward our detailed plans, to get views from the public, as part of the consultation.”

Safety concerns on the A31 intensified after the death of 16-year-old Jade Clark, who was knocked off her moped by hit-and-run driver Brian Hampton near Ringwood in February 2013.

Highways bosses will have to negotiate two bridges, the River Avon and take into account the salmon spawning season as part of the plans.