WORK has not yet started on Bournemouth's Wessex Fields link road, despite a large amount of earth being shifted in the area.

A number of residents contacted the Daily Echo under the impression work had commenced on the road and junction, which is planned to link Wessex Fields Business Park directly to the A338.

However, planning permission for the Wessex Fields link road scheme has not yet been finalised.

What is taking place in the area, further south along the A338 from the Blackwater junction works at Christchurch, is road widening as part of ongoing A338 project.

Project manager Ian Price said: "The Wessex Fields turn off hasn't started yet."

Mr Price confirmed work is underway close to where the Wessex Fields junction will be built, but this is to do with the Cooper Dean junction works which do have planning permission.

He confirmed: "The reason there is a gap in between (where the link road will finally be built between the ongoing Blackwater Junction and Cooper Dean Junction works) is we are waiting for planning permission before going ahead."

It is hoped the new Wessex Fields link road, which has been backed by Bournemouth Borough Council's planning committee subject to the outcome of the Secretary of State's decision, will provide additional access to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, create around 2,000 new jobs and shorten journey times in the immediate area.

Meanwhile, the latest phase of Christchurch's Blackwater Junction has reached a significant milestone.

From tomorrow morning, following overnight closures of the A338, a new contraflow system will be in place northbound.

When work on this latest stage is finished a new slip road will take motorists from Hurn on to the A338 towards Ringwood.

Drivers heading north on the A338 from Sunday will have to ensure they are in the correct lane if they want to make the Hurn turn off, otherwise they will be forced to drive all the way to Ashley Heath to turn around.

Bournemouth council environment service director Larry Austin said: "We’ve now reached the stage where we’re starting works to widen the northbound carriageway to provide an improved off slip to the Blackwater West junction. To enable us to lengthen the slip road, the carriageway needs to be widened in both the verge and central reservation. We’ll also be reinforcing the Blackwater Bridge piers and mirroring the concrete barrier works carried out around the southbound side of the bridge.

"So that we can maintain two lanes of traffic northbound, a contraflow has been installed on the southbound carriageway with a dedicated northbound lane and a single southbound lane. To ease traffic merging on the Blackwater on-slip, we can extend the merge lane over the Stour and have a longer lead-in to the lane closure southbound. This arrangement will remain in place until we near the end of the works in June 2019.

"We would encourage drivers to plan ahead, continue to allow extra time for their journeys especially during peak periods and pay close attention to the signage."