AS major roadworks get underway on the A338, the Echo looks back at the building of the road that changed the town forever.
It was in 1967 that construction on the Wessex Way through Bournemouth began.
By taking pressure off the town and areas like Holdenhurst Road, the A338 eased congestion.
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Since the new route passed through residential streets in Springbourne, its construction resulted in the flattening of homes.
Nearer to the centre of town, an elevated dual carriageway was built to loom over some of Bournemouth’s most attractive areas.
Meanwhile, construction was underway on the A338 Spur Road, which was meant to provide faster access along the western banks of the Stour towards Ringwood from Bournemouth.
At Holdenhurst, the £1.7m road divided the village from the rest of town, cutting through farmland. Much of the road ran along the route of the Bournemouth to Ringwood railway line, closed in 1935.
In the 1970s, The Wessex Way was extended, replacing a traditional roundabout with the Richmond Hill interchange.
During the 1980s, a flyover connected the Wessex Way to the Spur Road across Cooper Dean roundabout.
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