Gravel Hill closes for four months: what you need to know

What are they doing?

This is considered 'essential works' taking place from Queen Anne Drive to Dunyeats Road on Gravel Hill to ensure the route remains safe and reliable. The main works will include stabilising the embankment and improving traffic flows around the junctions. In addition there will be improvements for pedestrians and cyclists in the area.

What is being closed?

Gravel Hill, from Queen Anne Drive to Arrowsmith Road, will be closed entirely for the whole works period. Access for Gravel Hill residents, cyclists and pedestrians will be maintained throughout the closure.

When will the works start and finish?

A total closure of Gravel Hill (A349) will take place from 10pm Sunday July 24 2016 for four months. It had originally been anticipated the road would be closed entirely for up to six months but the council and contractors managed to shave a full two months off.

Why is the work needed?

The primary reason for the work is to stabilise the embankment at Gravel Hill, which is at risk of failing. There have been a number of failures over the years, the most recent a few years ago after a tree fell down. As the main link from the A31 trunk road to the Port of Poole and Poole Town Centre, it can't be left vulnerable to emergency repair works. Works are also aimed at increasing the reliability of journey times on the route, improving traffic flow and cutting congestion around the junctions.

What will the impact be?

Much as with the A338 rebuild, drivers are asked to leave extra time for their journeys, consider driving at less busy times of day or using alternative modes of transport.

What will the alternative routes be?

A fully signed diversion route will be in place, directing traffic along Queen Anne Drive / Magna Road - A341 to Ringwood Road - A348.

Arrowsmith Road will be open to local traffic (the existing 7.5 tonne weight limit restriction applies) - but this is not an official diversion and will not be signposted.

What's happening to the buses?

Morebus has planned for extended journey times and temporary timetables will be in place throughout the works. You can find all the details here but in a nutshell the routes affected include 3, 4 & 32.

Route 3 will be extended from Wimborne to Merley, providing half hourly links between Merley and Wimborne, Broadstone and Poole that are normally provided by route 4.

Route 4 will no longer be able to serve Gravel Hill so the daytime Monday to Saturday service will terminate at Dunyeats Road, Broadstone. During Monday to Saturday evenings, when route 3 does not operate, route 4 will extend to Wimborne and Merley via Corfe Mullen. Buses back from Wimborne and Merley to Poole will operate via the quickest possible route i.e. via the by-pass and Corfe Hills School.

Route 32 will be rerouted between Merley and Broadstone via Higher Blandford Road, Lockyers Road, Wimborne Road and Wimborne by-pass.

So what's are they actually doing and where?

Queen Anne Drive: Widening the carriageway, upgrading the signals to provide a toucan crossing (suitable for both pedestrians and cyclists) and introducing shared footway/cycleways around the junction.

Magna Road / Arrowsmith Road To ensure Magna Road, a key part of the diversion route, does not become blocked by vehicles waiting to turn right into Arrowsmith Road, temporary traffic signals will be installed at this junction.

Work, which includes realigning the kerb line and marginally widening Magna Road to create a right-turn lane, started early on Monday June 20 to ensure it's all ready in time for the main Gravel Hill closure.

If these temporary additions are considered to be of benefit to the local community they could be retained after the works are complete.

Dunyeats Junction: The roundabout will be redesigned to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists with the introduction of toucan crossings – one at the end of Dunyeat’s Road and one on the north side of the roundabout on Gravel Hill.

The roundabout will not be signalised as first proposed, after residents spoke out against the idea in a public consultation.

Pedestrian walkways: The footway will be widened from Queen Anne Drive to Dunyeat's junction, making it a shared footway and cycleway which will provide the missing cycle link connecting Merley to the town centre.

Speed limits: It is proposed to reduce the current speed limit between Queen Anne Drive and Arrowsmith Road from 60mph to 40mph, hopefully cutting accidents on Gravel Hill - a major cause for congestion in the Borough.

What about the wildlife?

The area around Gravel Hill is environmentally sensitive and as such has special environmental designations including SSSI and SNCI. A number of trees on Gravel Hill also have protection orders.

The council will ensure only the minimum number of trees will be affected and wildlife and habitat surveys are on-going to assess the levels of mitigation that will be required. The council has also been in consultation with Natural England and the Dorset Wildlife Trust throughout the design process.

An added environmental benefit of these works will be in addressing highway drainage, controlling 'surface run-off' to decrease the amount of water draining straight onto private land and reducing the risk of pollution should there be a spill on the road.

How much will it cost and where is the money coming from?

£4.3 million has been secured to deliver this work, including the preparatory works, with some £3.9 million from the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (DLEP), and the remainder funded by Poole Council.

The DLEP manages the Government’s funding streams and has secured £23.3m for Poole as part of the government’s Growth Deal. It will deliver a number of Poole transport improvements for the town including new approach spans for Poole Bridge – these carry the traffic from the land to the main section of the bridge. Another £13m will be spent on improved access to the port from the Poole side, improving the highway network south of the railway to the two lifting bridges, including the redevelopment of the Hunger Hill roundabout.

Anything else I need to know?

Borough of Poole have a special section online for the works at poole.gov.uk/GravelHill.

You can subscribe to receive the monthly travel and roads e-newsletter direct to your inbox by clicking on the ‘email me’ sign up button at poole.gov.uk or follow Borough of Poole on Facebook and Twitter (#GravelHill and #A349) to receive updates.

The Echo will be running a live blog on the first day of the work next week, and as ever keeping you update online and on social media.