A SECTION of road in north Dorset will be closed to traffic for six weeks while work to link to a new road takes place.

Construction of Principal Street, a 1.3km residential road to support the Gillingham southern expansion, started in August 2021. Now work is needed to tie the western end onto the B3092.

Two-way traffic lights will be in place between Lodden Bridge and the Cole Street Lane junction for two weeks from Monday, February 14.

Then from Tuesday, March 1, the section of road will be fully closed to all vehicles for around six weeks.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “We appreciate the disruption this will have on residents and businesses over the next two months, but there is no other way to complete this work and it’s the best time of year to carry it out due to lower traffic flows.”

A signed diversion route will direct drivers to use the A30 and travel via Shaftesbury to reach the B3092, A30, B3081 and B3092.

The new junction will require northbound traffic heading towards Gillingham on the B3092 to give way to vehicles. The southbound flow of traffic leaving Gillingham on the B3092 will seamlessly join the Principal Street or have a dedicated right turn lane to continue onto the B3092.

Dorset Council said that due to the nature of the work taking place, it is not possible for the road to remain open.

Due to a different in the finish road levels of 300mm, the existing B3092 needs to be reconstructed to join the new road with up to 90cm of depth set to be dug out.

Protective utility ducts are being installed under the road and overhead electricity poles are being relocated, along with BT poles.

Work to date has focused on completing earthworks for the alignment of the road and installing foul and storm drainage systems. This includes two large culverts which have been designed for a one-in-one-hundred-year flood event, with climate change also considered as part of the design.

Over the coming months, work includes continuing with earthworks for the road construction, installing lower road layers for kerbing works to begin, and continuing with duct crossings and the installation of the Wessex Water main.