CONTENTIOUS plans for a major revamp of one of Dorset’s busiest roundabouts have been put on hold.

The £5.7million overhaul of Canford Bottom roundabout on the A31 between Ferndown and Wimborne was due to start next month, to be ready in time for the Olympic sailing events in Weymouth next summer.

There are fears that the already-clogged roundabout will not be able to cope with the added traffic from London.

But the Highways Agency (HA) designs to cut journey times by creating a six-arm ‘hamburger’ roundabout have not convinced many residents.

Now transport ministers have stepped in to defer the nine-month project until the HA can justify it, and ultimately it could be postponed until after the Games.

Christchurch MP Chris Chope said he and Annette Brooke, for Mid Dorset and North Poole, appealed to the DfT after nearly 100 people left a recent two-hour public meeting chaired by the HA network manager and contractors from Mouchel none the wiser.

The HA had failed to answer questions about the impact on local roads around the junction, he said.

Mr Chope said: “What became apparent was that contrary to what we had been promised, they had not got the information of the impact on local residents.

“Ultimately our interest is the locals.

“There are still a lot of questions to be answered.

“The HA attitude is that they’re spending £5.7million on your area: you must be delighted about it.

“But we’re a bit more sophisticated around here.

“People want to be satisfied that they’re getting good value for money.”

The Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP, has said he was “very sorry” that data evidence was not provided, and pledged that the work would not go ahead until details have been provided.

Environmental works have already been carried out around the roundabout.

Engineers working on site while added traffic comes down the A31 for the sailing events in Weymouth has been ruled out, but it could be pushed back, Mr Chope said.

“If the HA gets the information together, we’ll say: ‘All right, go ahead’,” he said.

“But what worries me now is that if they had the data, why couldn’t they show us?

“Assurances were made that it was going to be beneficial, but with no evidence to back it up.”

Mr Baker pledged to resolve the situation soon.

“If the scheme is not delivered prior to June 2012, the benefits for the Olympic route and a year’s worth of improved traffic flows will be lost,” he said.

A HA spokesperson told the Daily Echo the impact on local roads and diversion routes had been “fully discussed” with Dorset County Council since talks began in 2007.

“Further information about our traffic modelling is due to be uploaded to our website shortly,” she said.

“We continue to work with Dorset County Council and will provide any further information they request.”

• Making Canford Bottom a six arm “hamburger” junction with 70 sets of CCTV-controlled traffic lights and sensors under the road will cut 13 minutes off average rush hour journey times, the HA says.

It will improve safety by reducing congestion on the A31 and local roads and the effects are predicted to last 10 years.