DRIVERS should use public transport or carshare to ease congestion on the A338 Spur Road during the works, Bournemouth council has said.

Yesterday frustrated motorists faced delays of up to 90 minutes during rush-hour.

The southbound carriageway has been reduced to one lane from north of Blackwater towards Cooper Dean.

The lane closure will be in place for 24 hours and northbound the carriageway is running to two narrowed lanes.

Both carriageways have a 40mph speed restriction.

Gary Powell, Bournemouth Borough Council’s head of traffic management, said: “We know not everyone has other options, but wherever possible we encourage people to use public transport, to car-share, or to work flexibly – speak to your employer about a different working pattern or working from home, for example.”

He added: “We appreciate this doesn’t work for everyone but if there are fewer cars on the road this will make a difference to delay times.”

Last night the southbound carriageway was closed from 8pm until 6am with the northbound carriageway shut from 11pm to allow football supporters to travel home.

Tonight the road will be closed from Ashley Heath to Cooper Dean from 8pm until 6am tomorrow.

The daytime work is taking place to join together the two bridges that carry the road over the River Stour. Extensive repairs are also needed.

Night-time work will mainly be earthworks to widen the southbound carriageway onto the central reservation.

The council said the works could not be carried out at night as floodlights cause “discomfort to residents” and are not a long-term option.

Hannah Kynaston was among those who took to Twitter to vent her frustration.

She said: “1 hour 22 minutes to get through the roadworks this morning. It’s 10 miles at an average speed of 7mph!”

Morebus diverted its X3 and X6 routes via Christchurch in an attempt to “minimise delays” to its services.

Morebus said extra buses and drivers could be drafted in during the half-term break.

The work is taking place so the southbound slip road onto the A338 at Blackwater Junction can be extended.

A third lane is being added to the stretch of road on the A338 from Blackwater towards Cooper Dean.

All four lanes will be open between December 10 and January 6 with a 40mph restriction.

The work is due to be completed in June 2019.